II 


'1.1  'I 


I'J'J' 
ii.'iiiiii ' ' ' ' 


'  1 


>h  1 


i:i  )  1,1 
1,1  II 


1  J  1  I  1  1  I  I'l 

I'lViVi'i'i'M 


1 1,1 1  ill  J 
'!'!>li!lM>:i|l 

;i;i;';i  1 


,1,1, 1,', 1,1, 1. 1,1,1  I.J  1 1  1  11 

,  1 ,  1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 ,  i ,  1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , ) ,  1 ,  ]    I 
I  1  1   I  1  I  I   I  1   I'll   1  1   I   1  J 


1   I   I   T  1 


i'i'i'i'i' 
llil.'Ili'ii 


,1,11111 
ililij.l.ll! 


i'i'i'i'i'i' 

ijijijijjjljl 

li]ilili',i!i!i!J!i!iIi! 


1  1  1,1  i:i  1 

I  1  I  ''II 

'111 


1  ij)  1  ) 
i.l'i  I  1 
iji  I  I  I 


l' 


iiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijiiiliil! 

JiJiftii'i'iSJiiiiiiiS'iiii!'!^^^ 


i!ili'i'I'iII'ili',li'Jl|',lTli 

I'J'I'li! 


i liiii  ii    ii!  ii     iiiii  iii    ii  ii  i  i  iiii    !  ii!  ii  i^ 

>^!;i;^];^|.i.;.^^^;l;.^;!;.;l|l!l.;l;l|l^^i!;l;l;l;l';,;l;1;^j;,;!;^^ 


"  '!il'!'!'i'!'!vl'l>l'!'l'I'!'l'l>lII'!> 
'.  ''•'''''''■'ijijijijijijijijijijijijij.'-'. 


1  1  UTl  I  I  I  1 


;i;i;i;i,i;i;i;i;i;-'; 
;i.'i;]^  •  '  •  ■ ' 


]'!'!'ii!!!'f'!'!'i!i!!'!>i'l';'^;Jl-;';i;;ii!:i!!!li!i:'^ 

'  '  '  '  '  1  '  1  '  I  I  '  1  '  i  '  I  '  '  1  '      ■  1  '  '         '  '  '  'i'  '  '  '  V  '  I  '  '  >  '  '  V 

1  1  1 1  l^^h'I'I'I'I'l'l^'I^'l^',^^^l  '  1 ' '  I  K'  1 '  1 1  1  1 1  1,1 1  1 1 1  1  l^  1 1 1^^  1 1  ih  1 1 1 1  iji  iS; 

iii  iii!  iiiiiiiiiiiii^iiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiii 
iiii^iliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

l!l!^I^:'ll!I;l:l:l!•:li^:J!lh!!]l'^^l!.Il^'i!l'i'1hI!il'^.';I^^i'^,'^ivlv^^  lIlX'^  ' ' ' ' '  '^^ 

'l•'l'l'^l'!'^!'!lll!^^!'i•!'l'l'!'l'!li'^!'^!'^■^^^!';',l!!!i:•!'!'!!^^ 

1     I     I     I     I     1     )     1     1     .     T     I'l'l  m'i'i  hMM'l'l'l  'I't'l'l  '(•I'l'l'lJl'l'l'l'l'l'l'lll*!^! 

.  'l '  1 1. 1. ».  I  .*.  1,  1, 1. 1. 1 .1 . 1. 1 .1 . 1.  ]  .1 .  J    I   I   I    1    1    1   I   I   J    t    I    I    I    I   1   ]   1   1  I  1    1 J    I 

^'''''''^'''''''''''''''''  ''''!''  1  ''I'l  '1  'I  'I 

I  1  1  1  1 1  iNTi  1  I  I  I  1  1  1  I  I  1  1  1  1 1  I  1  1  1 1  I  1  I  111  I  I  1  1  .1  .,11 

I I  1 1  1 1 1  1 1 1 1 1  1 1  1  1 1 1 1 1  .1  1 1 1 11 II  ,'l  I ,,,  1 1 ,,,,,},  t 

'l*l'!M'lMM'lh*l*Il'l'lSM'lN'l'l'i^»iU'i*i'i'i»i^i^t*iKU^'i'i'iS*i'i'ilil 

i'i»fNS*.'i'iNKJ.'.i.li'»uiiliiiUKUI.i.i.i.i.Kui,I.».K'-l.K'.K',J.i.l.i.i. 


^ 


11  i' i'i'i'i'i'i 'j' 11 'I'l'i'i'i'i' I 'i'l'i 

I'l'i'Liii'i'i'M'IiM'l'i'l'i'l'I'l'Mi 

1  I  i^ji  1  1  1  1  I  1  I  I  1  I  i]i  1  I  r  1  , 

I  I'lli  1  iIj  1  1  1  Ml  I  I  I  1 1  1  1  i')  1 


'I'M 


1  I'l  ri'i  I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i 

i'i'iVi'i'i'!vi'i'Mi!'!'i 

'I'l'I'l'l'l'I'lliil'lllilllili 


'•'I'll 

Vi'i'i'ill'I 


I  I  I  1,1  I  1  1  I 


IT    I    I'l'l'l'l' i' i'l '  i'l '  i'l  ' 

I'l'l'l'l'l'l'i'i'i'i'iVi'i' 
1  I  I  I'l  ih  1  1  I  1  1  I  I 

1 1 1^1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
)  1  111  I  1  1  I  I'l  I  I  I'l  i' 
'  1 1 1 1  ii.i  111  1 1 1 1 1 
* '  I ' ' '  'i'  I '  1 '  1 1  "."^ 
!'hM>!'!!:'!'!!:l'ijl!l:l!l 


1  I'l'i'i'i'i'i 

'M'M'lil'I' 
I'l'l'i'-l'l'j'j 

ijljjjljljljl}! 

•I'l'I'I'!"!'!' 
JiMilll'l'l!: 


:ili!; 


•!'!'!i!l'. 


lilliillili 
I  I  ill  iji 

I'loili!: 


i!il!li!l!i!l!i 


';'ii;» 

i'l'i'i']l'i'j'l'I'i'i'i'!'I'M 

iililililjli!i'ili!i!i!i!i',r;il 
W'P  I  I  1  i;i  I  1  I  I  1  1  ij 

'ivi'ii;!!','!:'^'!';!]!!';';' 

v!'l''l!|''lI|'i''A!l!!!l!!5|5 

)   I   J    t    '    ?   '   1    I  T  I   J    I   1   I   I 

il'M'1'i'i'i'i'M'M'l'M' 

1   1  I   I   1 ' ; '  I  1 '  I  1 '  T  I  I  1 '  I '  1 
I   I  J,!   1,1,1   1,1  1  I  I  I  11 

''•''»'  'M'l'i'l'l'Ji! 

1   I   1   1  I  1  1 


ih'i'i 


I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'iVi 


i;i;ij»;i;i;i;i;i;i;i;i; 
MiJiIiliJrIi'lJiIiH.'i 

'  'v  '  '  1  I  '  '  I  1  1 


I  1  1  I  '1  1  11 


11  1  1  1  1,1 


I  1  J  1,1  1  1  I  1  I  ill  ijiji 

I I  I  1 11 11 11 r I  I  1  I 

i'iTi'i'i't'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i 


ll^Jl'll 


1,1     J      11     1,1 

!i  11 1 1 1 J 

,'  •  '  I  IM 


11 

'i'i'i'iM'i'!' 
II  1  1  1  I  11 


'l'lil'l'l'!'!'l'l'l'!'l'J'l'!'l';'!'}'li!'i!|'l'i'l': 

,U1, I, I, I,  I,  I,  I, I. I, I. I, I, I, 1,1, I.  I,  I,  I.  I, I,  1,1,1.1-1 


'i'i'i'i'i 

I'llilllnl 


'  'il  '  I  1  1  I  1  1 

'1,1  1 

VII 

III' 


i!5 ::!!:;  ^i'W 
'I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i' 

;i|i!i}i!ijijijili]i!il 
iJ'l'!"!iJiIiliIiMil« 


1 11  >  1 1 
',1,1 1 11 
)  1  1  I  iji 

'  '  'j'  V 


ill  1,1 1 1,1 1 1 


iH!iHli|i!i 

:iii;i!i:i:!! 


'i'i'i' 

ilil?!: 


'  ' » ' 
I'!'!'! 


1,1,1,1 


j'l'i'i'i'l 

'I'l'M'i'i 
1  I  1  1  1  I'l  1  I  1  I  I 


u\>y. 


li'i'i'i'  '  '  H^ 
If  I  'Xil'IiJ 

11    1    1    I    1    IT 


1,1111 

i'i'i'i'i'i 
I'l'i'iliif 


1111 

i;i;i;iii|i:i 

I.I  I  I 


Vl'li]'!ilil'l'!> 
'I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i'i' 

l{!;!!i;{!J!!'l!l!! 

1  1  I  I  1  I  ih  1 
1  I  iJi  I  iJi* 


'I'l'M'i'M 


J  1  i;i 

'ii;i|i;i,i  I  I 

i;i:i;!;i  1  1  1  I  1  1  1 


1  1  1  1  I  1  1  1  1  I  1  111  1  i:i 
I'i'i  'i  'I'l'i '  I'l  'I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i 
ii;i  I  I  I  I  i;i;»:i;i 
jji  I  I  I 


I  1 1 1  I  I  I J  I 


11  I  1  1  1 1 1  1  I 


'i'i'l'I'l'liiil'I'l' 
ji[ijiji]i'iji'ijj]i[ 

'I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i' 
lilililili'ililililil 


'  'I'l'i'*'  ')')''  '''•'  '' 
Ji  1  iJi  I  1  I  1  1  I  I  )  I  1  1  lii.'i 
,1  1  1  1,1  1  1,1  I  1  I  1  I  I  ij)  i}i 
,1  I  1,1.1  I  1  1  1  1  111  II  1  lii 
I  1  I  I  1  1  I'l  >  1  I  1  1  I  >'i  I  1 
1  I  I  1,1  I  1  I  1  1  I  1  I  I  1  I  II 

i:i:':'!ii!:i!iil!i'iiJii!';i:l:i!ii 


:i;i;i,i;i 
'i!i:i 
1 1 1 1 1 


I  ili.i  ill  1  1  i!i  I 

1  1  1  i:i  1  1  1  i'l  I 


11  II  I  }r  I 
i'i'M'!'Ih''l'!' 

1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1, 


11  I  I  I 

l'!'!'!'!'! 
,1,1,1  1  I 


!'!'!'-l'!>^: 


iii'i'i^ri'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'  'i'  I  '  1  >;'  '  'i'  n'.i.'i' '  'i'  i;",'  I 

I'l'l'Pl'l'l'l'l'l'l'l'l'     'I     I     '     '•'»','!'     I'l'     '111     I'll     'll     I     'I'l 

1,1,1, 1,1 .1.1,1,1,1,1,1  1  I  1  I  I  1  I  1 1  1 1  1  1  I  1 J 1  1  I  1  1  I  I  1  I  1  I 
,1,1, 1  ,<] 1 ,1 , 1, 1,1,1 , 1,1 ,1,1, 1. ),i ,  1,1 , 1, 1,1,1  )  1 , 1  1  1  1 .1, 1  1  1, 1  I  1  I  I, I 

I,  I,  I,  I,  ',1,1, 1,1, !,',*, 1*1, 1,1,1,1,1, 1, 1, 1,1, 1, 1,1,1,7, 1,1, 1,1,1,1,1111] 
w  J  ,  I  ,  I  ,  I  ,  I  J  1  ,  I  ,  1  ,  I  ,  I  ,  1  ,  I  ,  I  ,  I  ,  1  _  I  I  ,  I  ,  1  ,  I  ,  I  ,  1  ,  I  ,  1  .  1  ,  I  1  I  I  I  I  I  1  1  1  I  1  I  1 
'I'l      1      I      I    I'l'l'l     i'l     1      I'i'l     1      i'l     I'l'l'l'l'l'l'l  'i'l      I'l'l  'I'l'l'l'l'l'l'l 

II  I  I   1  1  I  1  I  I  1  II  II  I'l  I  I'l  1  i'l  II  I'l  I   1   i'l' i'i'i'i'i'i',' i' 


1  1  1,1  1  II. i; 


1,1,1.1,1,1,1  11, 1,', 1,1, 1,1, 1,1, 1,1 

i;iji,i;ijijijiji]i'iji;i;i;i;irj,i;i: 


The  NCSU  Libraries 


North  Carolina  State  University 


This  book  was  presented  by 
August  De  Hertogh 


NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


S02065680  R 


This  book  is  due  on  the  date  indicated  unless 
recalled  by  the  Libraries.  Books  not  returned  on 
time  are  subject  to  replacement  charges. 
Borrowers  may  access  their  library  accounts  at: 
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ads/borrow.html 


MODERN   STRAWBERRY  GROWING 


IN  THE  GARDEN  LIBRARY 

The  Flower  Garden 
The  Vegetable  Garden 
Orchard  and  Fruit  Garden 
Daffodils,  Narcissus  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
Roses  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
House  Plants  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
Ferns  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
Lawns  and  How  to  Make  Them 
Water-Lilies  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
Vines  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
Chrysanthemums  and  How  to  Grow  Them 
Garden  Planning 


Modern 
Strawberry  Growing 


BY 


ALBERT  E.  WILKINSON,  B.  S. 

Instructor  and  Investigator  in  Horticulture 

New  York  State  College  of  Agriculture 

at  Cornell  University 


UNIFORM  WITH   "thE  GARDEN  LIBRARY" 


ILLUSTRATED 


Garden  City         New  York 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

1913 


Copyright,  1913,  by 

DOUBLEDAY,  PaGE  &  CoMPANY 

Jll  rights  reserved,   including  that  oj 

translation  into  foreign  languages, 

including  the  Scandinavian 


PREFACE 

It  is  more  than  twenty-five  years  since 
a  complete  book  on  this  subject  has  been 
published. 

It  would  seem  that  this  particular  crop 
had  been  somewhat  neglected  except  for  the 
work  of  the  horticultural  experimenters  at 
the  various  State  and  Government  Experi- 
ment Stations,  and  through  reports  published 
in  the  farm  papers  of  the  work  by  practical 
growers.  All  this  available  material  on  the 
subject  has  been  taken  and  "boiled  down" 
in  the  shape  of  a  practical  book,  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  general  farmer  and  amateur 
gardener,  so  that  they  may  produce  a  more 
than  liberal  quantity  of  this  healthful, 
delicious  fruit  for  their  own  use,  and  obtain 
more  real  pleasure  and  benefit  from  a  small 
plot  of  land  intensively  devoted  to  this 
crop  than  from  any  other  crop  requiring 
the    same    amount   of    care    and    attention. 

The  old  cry  that  "the  strawberry  industry 


VI  PREFACE 

is  being  overdone"  Is  not  founded  on  facts. 
At  anytime  of  year,  in  practically  any  market, 
the  supply  of  first-class,  well-packed,  high- 
priced  berries  is  never  equal  to  the  demand. 
There  is,  however,  in  some  cases,  owing 
partially  to  the  lack  of  a  proper  packing 
standard,  or  growers'  organization,  and 
partly  to  the  oversupply  in  some  markets 
of  a  very  poor  fruit,  a  glutted  market  on 
strawberries  for  a  short  time,  but  these 
are  not  the  high-class  fruit. 

In  the  words  of  the  law  on  supply  and 
demand,  "Demand  is  increased  by  a  crop 
of  well-grown,  well-packed  and  properly  sold 
fruit." 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.  Selection  of  Site       .......  3 

II.     Manuring  and  Fitting 9 

\  III.     Marking  and  Planting 19 

IV.  After  Care  —  Fertilizers     ...           .  38 

V.  Insects,  Diseases,  and  Spraying    ...  60 

VI.  Picking,  Packing,  and  Marketing       .      .  73 

VII.  Mulching,  Renovating  the  Old  Bed  .      .  88 

VIII.     Winter  Forcing loi 

IX.     Propagation,  Breeding no 

X.     Scoring  and  Judging 127 

XI.     Costs,  Yields,  and  Profits 133 

XII.  Strawberries  for  the  Home       ....  140 

XIII.  Alpine  Strawberries i6l 

XIV.  Fall-Bearing  Strawberries 171 

XV.  What  is  The  American  Strawberry?    .      .  179 

XVI.  Varieties  for  Special  Purposes       .      .      .  190 

Index         209 


'^^ 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Good  to  the  Bottom . 

.     Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Cultivate! 

.       14 

Light  Work  and  Profitable      . 

.       15 

Quick  Planting 

20 

Planting       .... 

21 

The  Matted  Row  In  Full  Bearing 

28 

Matted-Row  System     . 

29 

Hedge-Row  System 

.       36 

Hill  System 

37 

Strawberries  as  a  Catch  Crop 

44 

The  Newly  Set  Bed       . 

45 

Rooting  Runners  in  Pots 

.       64 

Potted  Plants       .... 

(>S 

Forced  Strawberries 

80 

The  Time  to  Mulch 

81 

Forcing  in  Pots     . 

.     102 

Forcing  on  Benches 

.     103 

Plants  in  the  Coldframe 

.     106 

Forced  Marshall  Plants  in  Fruit 

.     107 

Strawberries  in  Florida 

.     116 

Irrigation      .... 

.     "7 

Protecting  Strawberries  from  the  B 

irds    . 

.     124 

ILLUSTRATIONS 


As  a  Decorative  Plant  .... 

.     125 

In  the  Home  Garden     .... 

.     160 

The  Alpine  Strawberry. 

.     161 

Commercial  Culture       .... 

.     176 

In  the  Field 

.     177 

Weather  and  Fruit  Prospects 

.     194 

Strawberry  Flowers       .... 

.     19s 

Map  Showing  the  Pomological  Division  of 
United  States  .... 

the 
.     205 

Every  Plant  a  Quart      .... 

.     206 

One  Reason  for  a  Bad  Crop  . 

.     207 

MODERN   STRAWBERRY  GROWING 


MODERN  STRAWBERRY 
GROWING 

CHAPTER  I 
Selection  of  Site 

In  the  selection  of  a  suitable  site  for  a 
strawberry  plantation  there  are  a  great 
many  environmental  factors  to  consider,  the 
principal  ones  being  climate,  slope  or  expos- 
ure, drainage,  kind  of  soil,  and  condition 
of  the  soil.  Considering  these  factors  in 
their  order,  and  viewing  the  advantages  and 
disadvantages,  with  the  ideal  in  each,  will 
give  the  prospective  strawberry  grower  some 
idea  of  just  how  near  to  the  best  selection  he 
is  able  to  come,  and  may  help  in  correcting 
and  improving  his  choice  of  site. 

It  is  often  stated  that  this  or  that  variety 
is  particularly  adapted  to  the  South,  West, 
or  North,  in  other  words,  that  these  varieties 
3 


4  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

can,  or  cannot,  withstand  the  long  cold  of 
the  North  or  the  frosts  (both  early  and 
late),  or  they  cannot  stand  the  exces- 
sive heat  or  sunlight  of  the  South  or  mid- 
South. 

This  adaptability  is  not  surprising,  since 
we  recognize  such  things  as  "plant  associa- 
tions" or  "societies"  in  which  a  certain 
group  of  plants  live  together  under  certain 
conditions  of  climate,  moisture  and  other 
factors.  And  it  has  been  found  that  by  selec- 
tion and  breeding,  or  both,  either  natural 
or  artificial,  it  is  possible  to  change  the 
requirements  of  a  plant  so  that  it  is  more 
adapted  to  a  condition  of  cold  weather  than 
it  is  to  hot  weather,  or  vice  versa;  or  it  has 
changed  its  characteristic  choice  for  great 
moisture  to  a  liking  for  drier  conditions;  or 
in  some  other  way  it  has  been  so  modified 
that  it  can  and  does  live  under  different 
environment  or  surroundings  than  it  re- 
quired in  earlier  stages  of  its  develop- 
ment. 

Applying  this  idea  to  strawberry  plants 
originating  in  the  South:  They  can  be 
brought  North,  and  in  a  few  years  their 
descendants  will  be,  or  can  be  made  to  be. 


SELECTION    OF    SITE  5 

quite  used  to  the  conditions  of  the  Northern 
climate  or  other  external  factors. 

SLOPE    OR    LEVEL 

If  there  is  a  choice  between  a  slight  slope 
and  a  level  piece  for  the  strawberry  bed,  it 
is  advisable  to  take  the  former.  This  must 
not,  however,  be  too  sharp  an  incline,  but 
rather  gentle  or  slight.  The  advantages 
of  such  a  selection  will  be  better  water 
drainage  and  lessened  frost  injury,  owing  to 
some  air  drainage.  The  disadvantages  may 
be  some  washing  of  the  land,  and  therefore 
loss  of  humus  and  soluble  plant  food. 

The  southern  slope  should  always  be 
selected  for  early  fruiting;  but  for  late  fruit- 
ing, where  the  plants  are  held  back  until  all 
danger  from  frost  is  past,  a  northern  slope 
is  best.  This  northern  slope  should,  how- 
ever, be  somewhat  protected  in  our  Northern 
States  by  either  a  tree,  shrub,  or  building 
windbreak;  otherwise  the  plants  will  suffer 
greatly  from  cold  high  winds. 

One  of  the  principal  drawbacks  to  southern 
exposures  is  the  frequent  freezing  and  thaw- 
ing, especially  of  the  honeycombed  variety, 
which    causes    heaving    of    the    plants    and 


6     MODERN  STRAWBERRY  GROWING 

destroys  great  numbers  yearly  by  breaking 
the  roots  of  the  plant  and  leaving  the  plants 
and  some  roots  exposed  to  the  sun.  Owing 
to  the  warmth  of  this  location  blossoms  start 
early  and  are  sometimes  killed  by  late  frosts. 

If  there  remains  only  a  level  place  for  the 
bed,  and  it  is  not  well  drained,  this  may  be 
overcome  by  installing  some  proper  drainage 
system,  such  as  a  stone  or  tile  drain.  The 
proper  way  of  putting  in  a  drainage  system 
is  given  in  some  of  the  books  on  soils  or 
on  the  physics  of  agriculture,  and  will  not 
be  discussed  here. 

If  this  level  place  be  situated  lower  than 
the  surrounding  land,  it  is  not  advisable  to 
use  it,  owing  to  its  being  a  settling  ground 
for  heavy  cold  air,  which  means  greater 
liability  to  frosts.  In  fact,  low  lands  are 
the  least  desirable  of  all  for  a  strawberry  bed. 

As  a  general  rule  we  find  that  strawberries, 
as  a  whole,  are  cosmopolitan  as  to  the  kind 
of  soil,  whether  it  be  clay,  sand,  or  gravel. 
We  can  find  many  varieties,  such  as  Senator 
Dunlap,  Sample,  and  Bubach,  that  will  pro- 
duce good  crops  of  fruit  anywhere,  and  so 
are  considered  by  many  as  not  limited  as  to 
kind   of   soil,   owing   to   their   great   success 


SELECTION    OF    SITE  7 

under  all  conditions  of  soil;  but,  coming  to 
a  closer  examination  of  the  growth  of  the 
plants  and  the  largest  yield  of  the  largest 
and  best  fruits,  it  is  found  that  each  variety 
does  have  the  peculiarity  of  doing  better 
in  some  one  kind  of  soil  than  it  does  in 
others.  Thus,  we  find  that  Lady  Thompson, 
Stevens,  and  Clyde  are  more  adapted  to 
sandy  locations,  while  Wm.  Belt,  Parsons 
Beauty,  and  Glen  Mary  require  a  heavier 
soil,  and  Gaudy's  largest  crops  are  produced 
on  a  heavy  clay. 

The  ideal  soil  is  a  good,  rich,  humus-con- 
taining loamy  soil,  which  is  well  drained. 

The  one  condition  of  soil  on  which  it  is 
never  advisable  to  plant  strawberries  is  fresh- 
ploughed  old  sod.  Several  reasons  are  back 
of  this:  First,  an  air  space  between  the  sub- 
soil and  the  turned  or  ploughed  sod.  This  is 
practically  impossible  to  overcome,  even  after 
several  rollings  and  diskings.  Second,  the 
large  number  of  insects  present,  especially 
the  June  bug  lava,  or  commonly  known 
"white  grub."  This  fellow  eats  off  the 
roots  of  the  strawberry  plants,  killing  large 
areas  which  have  been  planted  in  sod. 
Third,   owing  to  the  first  reason,   lack  of 


8     MODERN  STRAWBERRY  GROWING 

water  in  the  topsoil,  as  there  is  a  break  be- 
tween the  topsoil  and  the  subsoil  and  there- 
fore a  lack  of  rise  of  soil  water.  Even  with 
several  waterings  the  plants  are  not  saved 
where  there  is  a  break  in  the  capillarity. 

The  question  then  arises  if  the  only- 
available  place  for  strawberries  is  in  sod, 
how  shall  one  go  about  in  order  to  plant 
strawberries  the  next  spring?  Fall  ploughing 
and  not  inverting  the  sod  is  the  solution. 
This  kills  the  grubs,  starts  the  decay  or 
breaking  down  of  the  sod,  and  gives  a  greater 
chance  for  connection  between  the  upper 
soil  and  subsoil.  The  preparation  before 
planting,  however,  must  be  the  most  thor- 
ough possible. 


CHAPTER  II 
Manuring  and  Fitting 

After  the  selection  of  the  best  available 
site  for  the  strawberry  bed  has  been  made 
comes  the  immediate  work  of  preparing  the 
land  for  planting. 

The  question  would  naturally  arise :  If  the 
grower  was  given  either  sandy  or  clayey  soil, 
just  what  line  of  work  would  suggest  itself 
as  the  best  for  the  largest  returns  in  crops 
of  fruit?  If  the  individual  has  one  or  the 
other  kind  of  soil,  and  can  apply  stable 
manure,  or  grow  a  crop  to  turn  under,  some  of 
the  various  results  obtained  from  such  appli- 
cations would  be  expected  —  that  is,  by 
adding  stable  manure  or  ploughing  under  a 
crop  of  clover,  rye  or  other  crop  (green 
manuring),  it  is  possible  to  improve  the 
texture  or  physical  condition  of  the  soil  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  soil  is  able  to  hold 
more  water,  more  air,  give  the  roots  of  the 
9 


lO  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

plants  more  feeding  space,  make  it  easier 
for  the  roots  to  penetrate  the  soil,  increase 
the  bacterial  work  of  the  soil,  aid  chemical 
liberation,  thereby  causing  more  plant  food 
to  become  available,  and  many  other  helps 
to  larger  and  better  crops.  This  then  would 
be  the  first  step. 

The  second  would  be  to  crop  the  land  for 
a  year  or  more  with  a  crop  such  as  corn, 
potatoes,  or  beans  the  first  year,  and  if  pos- 
sible the  same  the  second  year,  adding  a 
cover  crop  for  each  fall  and  winter,  being 
sure  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  third  spring 
there  will  be  a  good  cover  crop  of  some 
legume,  like  clover,  to  turn  under,  following 
this  by  thorough  preparation  of  the  land 
and  planting  to  strawberries.  This  method 
would  have  so  changed  the  original  condi- 
tions of  the  soil  that  it  would  be  reasonable 
to  expect  a  good  crop  of  fruit. 

These  principles  herewith  given  are  the 
ideals  as  set  forth  for  the  most  intensive 
growing  of  strawberries,  and  they  are  the 
methods  in  practice  to-day  by  the  majority 
of  the  successful  commercial  strawberry 
growers. 

If  the  land  is  in  fairly  good  tilth,  and  has 


MANURING    AND    FITTING  II 

not    required    making    over,    the    work    of 
manuring  can  begin  at  once. 

MANURING 

Many  growers  like  to  manure  heavily  In 
the  fall,  applying  from  fifteen  to  eighteen 
cords  of  stable  manure  to  the  acre,  and 
ploughing  under,  it  being  practically  Impos- 
sible to  apply  too  much  manure.  Through 
the  winter  this  manure  has  a  chance  to 
break  down  somewhat  and  begin  to,  or  is 
ready  to,  decay  when  the  first  opening  of 
spring  comes.  There  are  other  growers  that 
do  not  spread  manure  until  after  they  have 
ploughed  the  land  In  the  spring,  preferring  to 
disk  in  the  manure,  following  this  by  a  light 
cross  ploughing,  thereby  putting  the  manure 
at  the  best  depth  for  the  strawberry  roots. 
Many  of  these  growers  claim  that  manure 
ploughed  under  in  the  fall  is  placed  too  deep 
for  the  use  of  the  plant  and  therefore  Is  not 
so  available  for  the  current  year's  growth 
of  the  plants. 

It  is  also  claimed  that  during  the  winter 
there  is  some  loss  of  the  food  from  the  manure 
ploughed  under.  Some  advise  only  eight  or 
ten  cords  of  manure,  supplementing  this  with 


12  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

one  or  two  applications  of  commercial 
fertilizer,  such  as  wood  ashes  and  ground 
bone,  at  the  time  of  setting  the  plants,  and 
a  little  later  about  300  pounds  of  wood 
ashes  and  500  pounds  of  ground  bone  being 
used  per  acre.  The  latter  method  could 
be  used  by  the  commercial  grower  to  great 
advantage,  as  it  would  save  labour  and  might 
be  cheaper.  For  the  intensive  farmer  and 
small  grower  or  fancier  heavy  applications 
of  stable  manure  would  be  most  desirable 
and  would  be  found  to  be  cheaper  in  the  end. 
The  cost  of  manuring  will  figure  out  like  this : 

1st  plan.  15  cords  of  manure  at  $2.50  per  cord $37.00 

10  cords  of  manure  at  $2.50  per  cord 25.00 

300  lb.  wood  ashes  at  $16  per  ton  )  (  2.40 

500  lb.  ground  bone  at  $32  per  ton  j  (  8.00 

$35.40 

Ofttlmes  the  manure  can  be  obtained  for 
the  handling,  or  is  produced  on  the  property 
and  in  that  case  it  is  the  most  advisable  and 
economical  to  use. 

PLOUGHING 

In  ploughing  the  land  the  grower  must 
first  decide  whether  to  plough  in  the  fall  or 
in  the  spring. 


MANURING    AND    FITTING  1 3 

The  advantages  of  fall  ploughing  are: 

1.  At  this  time  of  the  year  the  grower 
can  do  a  better  job  and  with  less  haste, 
owing  to  there  not  being  so  much  other  work 
demanding  his  time. 

2.  It  has  a  tendency  to  start  the  decay 
of  vegetable  matter  In  the  soil. 

3.  Action  of  frost  Is  very  beneficial  In 
breaking  down,  and  thereby  fining  the  soil. 

4.  Kills  many  insects. 

5.  Enables  the  grower  to  start  working 
on  the  land  earlier  in  the  spring,  as  the  soil 
dries  out  more  quickly. 

6.  Good  time  of  year  to  turn  under  fresh 
manure. 

7.  In  some  cases  catches  and  holds  large 
amount  of  moisture. 

The  disadvantages  are: 

1.  In  certain  places  loss  of  soil  by  erosion. 

2.  In  certain  places  loss  of  plant  food  by 
erosion. 

3.  In  certain  places  the  soil  becomes  too 
dry. 

Contrasted  with  the  above  are  the  advan- 
tages of  spring  ploughing: 

I .  Ploughing  Immediately  followed  by  har- 
rowing, then  planting. 


14  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

2.  Thereby  very  little  loss  of  soil  moisture. 

3.  Permits  a  cover  crop  to  winter  on  the 
soil;  stops  erosion. 

The  general  advice  for  the  different  soils 
is:  Plough  a  damp  or  clay  soil  in  the  fall 
and  if  planting  is  to  be  done  on  sod;  other- 
wise spring  ploughing  is  advisable,  especially 
where  a  cover  crop  is  desired  or  where  the 
soil  is  sandy. 

The  question  now  arises,  How  shall  the 
ploughing  be  done.^*  It  is  best  to  turn  a  fur- 
row at  least  fourteen  inches  wide,  and  not 
completely  inverting  the  soil  but  having  it 
lap  over  a  little  on  the  preceding  furrow 
slice.  It  is  also  important  that  the  soil 
shall  be  plowed  to  a  depth  of  seven  inches 
or  more,  or,  In  fact,  to  the  subsoil.  If  the 
topsoil  is  thinner  than  seven  inches,  then 
it  would  be  advisable  to  plough  only  a  little 
deeper  than  the  topsoil. 

The  plough  that  is  used  must  break  up  these 
slices  as  much  as  possible  and  leave  them 
in  as  good  a  condition  for  harrowing  as 
possible.  Other  than  the  above,  the  plough- 
ing must  leave  the  best  straight  furrows,  even, 
well  broken,  and  all  ready  for  the  harrow. 

What  kind  of  a  plough  will  give  these  results  ? 


.=  o 

-^  ^ 

o 

en     li 


MANURING    AND    FITTING  1 5 

A  plough  that  has  a  rather  long  point  with  a 
well  turned  moldboard.  In  my  experience 
a  good  one  is  the  Syracuse  Landslide  plough. 
There  are  also  many  other  ploughs  that  will 
do  as  good  a  job. 

HARROWING 

When  the  spring  opens  and  the  soil  Is  fit 
to  work,  if  the  land  has  been  fall  ploughed, 
harrowing  can  start.  This  consists  of  drag- 
ging a  pulverizing  tool  back  and  forth  across 
the  field.  The  disk  harrows  are  the  best 
tools  for  this  purpose,  and  by  using  these, 
lapping  one  half  each  time,  the  soil  can  be 
put  in  very  good  condition  for  the  finer 
harrow.  If  the  soil  Is  inclined  to  be  lumpy 
or  contains  much  clay  or  coarse  fibre,  it  is 
oftentimes  advisable  to  cross  lap  disk,  thus 
breaking  up  these  particles  and  leaving  the 
field  in  finer  tilth. 

Immediately  after  disking,  use  the  common 
spike  tooth  harrow  or  spring  tooth,  set 
shallow.  This  tool  not  only  fines  the  earth 
more  than  the  disk,  but  has  a  tendency  to 
keep  the  land  level.  It  Is  advisable  to  lap 
the  tool  one  third  and  cross  lap  harrow  If 
the  soil  Is  not  in  the  required  condition. 


l6  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

By  working  with  both  disk  and  spike  har- 
rows, the  soil  is  put  in  very  fine,  level  tilth 
and  this  fineness  is  carried  to  a  greater  depth. 

BACK  FURROWING 

Oftentimes  the  grower  wants  his  soil  to 
have  even  better  preparation  than  the  har- 
rows are  able  to  give,  or  he  may  desire  to 
lay  ofi"  his  land  in  beds.  The  method  used 
in  this  case  would  be  back  furrowing,  plough- 
ing four  inches  deep,  either  by  splitting  the 
piece  in  the  middle  and  ploughing,  by  throwing 
the  furrows  together,  or  by  making  several 
small  beds,  by  back  furrowing  in  the  middle 
of  a  narrow  strip,  then  starting  another  the 
same  way,  leaving  a  dead  furrow  between 
the  beds. 

While  ploughing,  the  furrows  are  raked 
down,  thereby  leaving  a  very  even,  well- 
raked  bed,  having  all  the  coarse  material  at 
the  bottom  of  the  furrow,  and  the  top  four 
inches  in  the  very  best  possible  condition 
for  plant  growth. 

Sometimes  just  before  back  furrowing, 
which  is  generally  cross  ploughing,  a  good 
layer  of  well-rotted  manure  is  spread  and 
this    four-inch    ploughing   is    considered    by 


MANURING    AND    FITTING  IJ 

many  growers  to  place  the  manure  in  the 
most  available  spot  for  the  growth  of  the 
strawberry  plants. 

Level  beds,  with  all  the  coarse  material 
well  covered,  tend  to  increase  the  efficiency 
of  labour,  by  making  it  possible  to  make 
straighter  rows  and  decreasing  the  time  re- 
quired for  setting  the  plants,  and  make 
cultivation  and  weeding  easier  and  quicker. 
They  also  improve  the  many  soil  factors, 
improving  the  water-holding  capacity,  giving 
more  air,  more  bacterial  activities,  and  other 
beneficial  results  from  more  intensive  culture. 

ROLLING 

Rolling  after  harrowing  is  used  by  some 
growers  to  enhance  the  capillarity  activities, 
thereby  resulting  in  a  more  sure  catch  of 
the  roots  of  the  plants.  This  rolling  also 
results  in  a  more  even,  level  surface, 
which  makes  it  easier  and  quicker  for  the 
grower  to  mark  out  the  rows  for  the 
plants. 

The  best  roller  for  this  work,  on  average 
strawberry  soils,  is  the  large  wooden  one. 
The  heavy  iron  roller  packs  the  earth  too 
tightly,  and,  therefore,  is  not  so  desirable  to 


l8  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

use   except  on  very   sandy   soils.     On   clay 
soils  use  a  planker. 

After  a  roller  has  been  used  and  the  plants 
set,  it  is  important  that  a  soil  mulch  be 
given;  otherwise,  great  loss  of  water  from 
the  soil  will  result. 


CHAPTER  III 
Marking  and  Planting 

There  are  many  systems  or  methods  of 
marking  out  a  strawberry  bed.  Much  de- 
pends on  the  system  of  planting  which  is 
to  be  followed.  If  the  plants  are  to  be  set  in 
rows  four  or  five  feet  apart,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  have  some  form  of  marker  that  will 
mark  four  or  more  rows  at  a  time.  One  of 
the  best  is  that  made  of  a  piece  of  two  by 
three  scantling,  at  least  seventeen  feet  long. 
For  marking  rows  four  feet  apart,  set  in  the 
scantling  every  four  feet,  either  short  pieces 
of  a  broom  handle  one  and  one  half  feet 
long,  or  iron  rods,  with  some  arrangements 
as  to  shafts  if  it  is  to  be  used  for  horsepower, 
or  two  short  shafts  if  it  is  to  be  run  by  man 
power. 

At  the  ends,  or  near  the  ends,  a  short  piece 
of  wood  (it  might  be  well  to  allow  the  out- 
side broom  handles  to  extend  above  as  well 
19 


20  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

as  below)  should  extend  above  the  scantling 
to  serve  as  handles  by  which  the  marker 
is  kept  in  place.  This  machine  can  be  run 
by  three  men  or  one  horse  and  two  men  — 
one  man,  or  the  horse,  to  draw  it,  one  man 
to  keep  one  of  the  outside  markers  In  the 
line  just  previously  made,  and  the  other 
man  to  drive  and  keep  the  machine  running 
parallel  to  the  preceding  lines.  In  starting 
this  machine  It  Is  best  to  begin  on  one  side 
of  the  bed,  preferably  the  straighter,  if 
necessary  laying  out  by  line  or  with  stakes 
the  first  row;  then,  as  the  outside  marker 
always  coincides  with  the  previous  row,  It 
is  quite  easy  to  keep  each  row  straight  and, 
of  course,  the  required  distance  apart. 

Some  growers  prefer  chains  Instead  of 
wood  or  iron  bar  markers.  They  are  put 
on  the  scantling  in  place  of  the  broom  handles 
the  required  distances  apart,  in  order  to 
mark  the  rows  as  wanted.  The  chief  objec- 
tion to  chains  Is  the  fact  that  they  sometimes 
do  not  mark  the  rows  an  equal  distance  apart, 
owing  to  their  being  dislodged  or  thrown 
out  of  place  by  obstructions  In  the  soil. 

Sometimes  the  common  garden  line  is 
used  very  successfully,  especially  If  the  oper- 


QUICK  PLANTING 

Two  men  work  together,  one  carrying  and  inserting  the  plants,  the  other  mak- 
ing the  hole  and  tramping  the  soil  down  after  setting 


PLANTING 

Planting  with  a  spade  is  usually  the  most  satisfactory  way  for  the  home  garden. 

The  whole  process  is  shown  above.      Set  the  crown  a  trifie  low    so    that    after 

firming  it  will  be  on  a  level  with  the  surface  of  the  soil 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  21 

ator  in  planting  does  not  touch  it.  Many- 
times,  however,  the  operator  varies  the  line 
by  pushing  the  trowel  or  spade  against  it 
until  the  planted  rows  bow  out  when  the 
line  is  released. 

On  small  beds,  where  the  plants  are  set 
one  foot  apart,  a  small  hand  marker,  some- 
what similar  to  the  large  marker  previously 
described,  can  be  used  quite  successfully, 
providing  the  operator  has  something  like 
the  garden  line  to  go  by.  If  this  bed  is  to  be 
check  rowed,  the  same  tool  can  be  used, 
or  if  the  planter  has  a  sure  eye  for  distances 
the  plants  can  be  set  without  cross  marking. 

One  of  the  most  common  methods  of 
marking  out  a  bed  is  that  of  ploughing  fur- 
rows four  to  six  inches  deep  where  the  rows 
of  strawberries  are  to  be,  the  plants  being 
set  on  the  land  side  of  the  furrow. 

Some  of  the  objections  to  this  method  are: 

1.  Inability  to  make  straight  rows. 

2.  Breaks  up  the  level  bed,  making  it 
rough. 

3.  Not  an  intensive  method. 

4.  Labour  of  filling  in  furrow. 

5.  Plants  liable  to  dry  out. 

6.  Hard  to  place  plants  at  the  best  depth. 


22  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

The  advantages  are: 

1.  Quickness  of  opening  furrow  for  plant- 
ing. 

2.  Quickness  of  setting  plants,  it  being 
necessary  only  to  set  the  plant  against  the 
straight  edge  of  the  furrow,  and  place  soil 
around  and  on  the  roots. 

3.  Ease  of  watering  plants  after  being  set. 

4.  Cheapness  of  setting. 

5.  Best  method  for  matted  row  culture 
where  the  planter  is  short  handed. 

RECEIVING   PLANTS 

As  soon  as  the  plants  arrive  at  the  station, 
get  them  at  once,  take  them  home,  unpack 
the  box  without  delay,  and,  if  you  do  not 
immediately  plant,  dig  a  shallow  trench  and 
place  the  plants  in  this.  Be  sure  that  the 
bundles  are  untied;  be  sure  that  the  soil  is 
moist  and  packed  firmly  around  the  roots. 
If  there  is  any  trouble  with  the  plants,  such 
as  mould,  or  the  plants  are  of  poor  quality, 
notify  the  dealer  at  once,  writing  exactly  the 
trouble,  and  make  a  settlement  with  him. 

Notice  the  roots  of  plants  you  buy.  If 
they  are  black  or  dark  coloured,  better  not 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  23 

take  the  plants,  as  they  are  old.  The  best 
plants  have  Hght  yellow,  sometimes  light 
orange  coloured  roots,  which  denote  that 
the  plant  is  young.  If  there  is  a  good,  well- 
developed  root  system,  so  much  the  better. 
The  leaves  should  be  light  green,  fresh 
and  new  looking. 

PLANTING 

If  the  grower  has  used  the  furrow  method 
of  marking  out  his  strawberry  bed  there  will 
be  very  few  tools  needed  to  set  the  plants. 
Some  growers  use  a  trowel  to  place  the  earth 
around  the  plant,  but  for  quickness  and 
efficiency  of  labour  there  is  not  a  tool  that 
will  equal  the  hand  for  this  work.  Follow- 
ing this  placing  of  the  soil  around  the  roots 
of  the  plant,  use  the  feet  or  the  knees  to  firm 
the  soil.  However,  there  is  quite  a  large 
amount  of  soil  to  replace  in  the  furrow,  and 
this  can  best  be  done  by  horse  tools,  such  as 
the  five  or  seven  shovel  toothed  cultivator. 
Almost  every  farm  has  these  tools,  so  the 
beginner  would  be  put  to  no  extra  expense 
for  tools  by  following  this  method. 

The  best  tool  to  use  in  the  case  of  planting 
to  the  mark  or  line  is  the  ordinary  garden 


24  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

spade.  By  this  method  two  men  or  two 
men  and  a  boy  are  needed.  In  the  case  of 
the  two  men,  one  uses  the  spade,  thrusting 
it  into  the  soil  at  the  required  distances 
apart,  pushing  the  handle  forward  a  little, 
thereby  making  openings  in  which  the  other 
man  can  place  the  roots  of  the  strawberry 
plants,  being  sure  to  spread  them  as  much 
as  possible.  The  spade  is  then  placed  in 
front  of  the  plant  and  pushed  into  the  ground 
and  the  blade  drawn  back,  forcing  the  soil 
tightly  against  the  roots  of  the  plant;  or  the 
heel  is  placed  near  the  plant  to  force  the  soil 
tightly  against  the  roots.  The  man  who 
sets  the  plants  in  the  ground  must  prepare 
them  if  it  has  not  previously  been  done, 
by  pruning  the  roots  back  so  that  they  will 
be  able  quickly  and  easily  to  start  growth; 
also  the  leaves  must  be  pruned.  If  you 
prune  the  roots,  be  fair  to  the  top  and  prun-e 
back  all  the  leaves  but  one  (this  should  be 
the  last  one  produced  by  the  plant),  and  the 
growing  point.  The  planter  must  also  carry 
the  basket  of  plants  or  the  pail  of  plants,  if  a 
boy  is  not  employed  to  prepare  and  drop  the 
plants. 

The  best  results  in  planting  are  sometimes 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  2^ 

brought  about  by  keeping  the  plants,  while 
they  are  being  carried  about  in  the  field, 
with  their  roots  submerged  in  water. 

The  proper  depth  to  set  the  crown  is  an- 
other point  that  the  man  who  sets  the  plants 
in  the  soil  must  be  very  careful  about. 

Sometimes  the  crown  (that  part  of  the 
plant  where  the  leaves  and  roots  start) 
is  planted  so  deep  that  the  growing  point  is 
not  able  to  push  its  way  through  the  soil; 
the  plant  lives  for  a  while  and  then  dies. 
Again  the  crown  is  not  set  deep  enough  and 
some  of  the  roots  are  exposed.  In  this  case 
the  plant  lops  over,  the  exposed  roots  dry 
out,  and  the  plant  dies. 

Now,  since  the  above  is  so,  the  question  is, 
"Just  what  depth  is  correct  in  setting  straw- 
berry plants?" 

It  has  been  found  that  the  proper  well-set 
plant  is  one  that  has  all  of  its  roots  and  the 
lower  part  of  the  crown  covered  with  soil; 
or,  in  other  words,  the  top  of  the  crown  should 
be  a  little  above  the  level  of  the  ground. 
This  enables  the  growing  point  to  develop 
without  hindrance,  and  prevents  the  drying 
out  of  the  roots  from  exposure.  The  results 
will  be  quick,  satisfactory  growth. 


26  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

The  plants  can  be  set  with  a  hand  trowel 
in  place  of  the  spade.  At  the  proper  point 
on  the  mark  or  under  the  line,  the  trowel  is 
pushed  into  the  soil  and  the  handle  is  brought 
forward  and  sideways,  making  a  hole  four  to 
six  inches  long  and  deep,  and  about  an  inch 
wide  at  the  top;  the  plant  is  laid  flat  on  the 
ground  with  the  top  of  the  roots  near  the 
crown  over  the  hole.  Then  using  the  edge 
of  the  hand  the  roots  are  pushed  down 
into  the  hole  and  are  well  spread;  the  plant 
is  then  held  at  the  correct  depth  with  one 
hand  and  with  the  other  hand  the  trowel, 
back  toward  the  plant,  is  thrust  into  the  soil 
about  two  inches  from  the  plant  followed  by 
a  quick  motion  on  the  trowel  toward  the 
plant.  The  earth  is  firmed  around  the  plant. 
Following  this  the  operator  can  step  on  the 
soil,  firming  it  more  thoroughly,  but  this  is 
not  necessary.  The  next  plant  is  then  set, 
and  so  on. 

There  is  still  another  method  which  is 
sometimes  used  on  the  home  grounds  or  in 
small  beds.  This  consists  of  removing  the 
plant  from  the  propagating  bed  with  the 
greatest  amount  of  roots,  and  a  large  lump  of 
soil.     The  tool  used  consists  of  a  round  piece 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  27 

of  galvanized  iron  or  steel,  about  four  inches 
in  diameter  and  six  inches  deep,  with  a 
handle  about  two  feet  long,  consisting  of  two 
pieces  of  iron  joined  at  the  top  and  attached 
to  the  round  piece  on  opposite  sides.  In 
using  this  tool,  it  is  placed  over  the  plant, 
having  the  plant  in  the  centre,  the  foot  or 
hands  press  the  instrument  into  the  soil, 
cutting  a  round  piece  of  soil  the  size  of  the 
tool.  By  canting  the  tool  a  little  the  plant 
and  soil  can  be  removed  and  at  once  set  in 
the  bed  where  wanted.  Of  course  there 
must  be  a  hole  a  little  larger  than  the  trans- 
planted soil  and  plant  requires,  and  the 
plant  must  be  set  with  regard  to  proper 
depth. 

The  advantages  of  this  method  are: 

1.  Does    not   require    root   or   leaf   prun- 
ing. 

2.  Has  a  tendency  not  to  check  the  growth 
of  the  plant. 

3.  Sure  success  in  transplanting. 
The  disadvantages  are: 

1.  Extra  cost  of  labour  in  transplanting,  as 
the  method  is  a  slow  one. 

2.  Not  of  value  commercially,  owing  to 
extra  cost  as  above. 


28  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

3.  Cannot  be  used  if  grower  has  to  buy 
plants. 

WHEN    TO    SET   THE    PLANTS 

There  are  several  considerations  which 
govern  the  time  and  manner  of  setting  straw- 
berry plants.  The  time  to  plant  depends  in 
humid  regions  more  upon  the  rainfall  than 
upon  any  other  factor.  If  the  seasonal  rains 
occur  in  July  and  August,  plant  then;  if  in 
September  and  October,  plant  at  that  time. 
If  the  earlier  date  can  be  taken  advantage  of, 
so  much  the  better;  the  plants  will  have  a 
longer  period  in  which  to  grow,  and  they  will 
be  stronger  and  the  crop  heavier  in  conse- 
quence. 

If  there  are  not  timely  rains  at  the  plant- 
ing season  to  give  the  plants  an  opportunity 
to  establish  themselves,  the  stand  will  be 
uneven,  with  the  result  that  more  work  will 
be  required  to  keep  the  land  free  from  weeds, 
and  it  will  be  more  trouble  to  get  the  blank 
spaces  occupied  by  runners  from  the  plants 
that  survive. 

The  plants  that  do  withstand  the  drought 
are  checked  and  dwarfed.  They  seldom 
recover   so   as    to   make   either   satisfactory 


r;:    O 
o    tJ 


o    ^ 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  29 

croppers  or  plant  producers.  It  is  most  satis- 
factory and  economical,  therefore,  to  choose 
that  season  which  offers  most  advantages  at 
planting  time,  other  things  being  equal. 

It  is  impossible  to  specify  the  season  for 
each  locality  or  even  for  large  areas,  as 
conditions  of  soil  and  climate  necessitate  dif- 
ferent practices  in  localities  only  a  short 
distance  apart.  In  general  there  are  only  two 
seasons  for  planting,  spring  and  fall,  but  in 
some  localities  spring  planting  should  be 
done  in  April  or  May  by  the  use  of  the  pre- 
ceding season's  plants,  while  in  others  it  may 
be  done  in  June  from  the  crop  of  runners  of 
the  same  season. 

In  irrigated  regions  planting  can  be  done 
at  whatever  season  the  work  will  give  best 
results  in  future  crop  production.  In  humid 
regions  rainfall  is  the  determining  factor. 
In  the  northern  half  of  the  prairie  region 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  spring  planting  gives 
best  results.  In  the  Middle  Atlantic  States, 
the  work  is  divided  between  spring  and 
August  planting,  with  the  balance  in  favour 
of  the  latter  in  some  localities.  In  New 
England,  the  work  is  chiefly  confined  to  the 
spring  months,  although  there  are  enthusi- 


30  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

astic  advocates  of  fall  planting,  especially 
among  those  who  combine  strawberry  grow- 
ing with  the  trucking  business  on  expensive 
lands  near  the  large  cities. 

In  the  Atlantic  Coast  States  south  of  New 
York,  August  and  September  planting  is 
most  extensively  practised,  particularly  upon 
the  more  retentive  soils.  In  the  trucking 
region  on  the  islands  about  Charleston,  S.  C, 
spring  planting  is  practised,  as  it  results  in 
a  paying  crop  the  following  year,  while 
only  a  small  crop  can  be  harvested  from  fall- 
set  plants.  On  these  quick  soils,  the  plant 
can  be  grown  as  an  annual;  and  farther 
south,  in  Georgia  and  Florida,  the  fall-set 
plants  will  return  a  profitable  crop  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  On  the  heavier  soils  of  South 
Carolina,  however,  fall  planting,  with  the 
paying  crop  one  year  from  the  following 
spring,  is  the  most  profitable  method. 

WATERING 

After  the  plants  are  properly  set  it  is 
often  necessary  to  water  them,  particularly  if 
the  soil  is  quite  dry  when  the  plants  are  set. 
This  may  be  done  by  using  watering  pots, 
by  the  use  of  a  spray  machine,  by  irrigation 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  3 1 

both  overhead  and  by  trenches,  or,  on  the 
home  acre,  by  using  the  hose. 

It  does  not  seem  best  at  this  point  to  go 
into  the  process  of  irrigation,  it  being  deemed 
only  necessary  to  say  that  enough  water 
should  be  applied  so  that  it  will  thoroughly 
moisten  the  roots  of  the  plant,  and  by  so  doing 
help  to  make  more  points  of  contact  between 
the  soil  particles  and  the  roots. 

This  first  watering  is  often  helped  by  the 
proper  removal  of  the  leaves  when  the  plants 
are  set,  thereby  decreasing  transpiration, 
(the  amount  of  water  the  plants  throw  off), 
and  resulting  in  a  lessening  demand  of  the 
plant  for  water. 

SYSTEMS   OF   PLANTING 

The  matted  row, — The  most  common  sys- 
tem of  strawberry  growing  throughout  the 
United  States  is  the  matted  row  system. 
This  is  particularly  popular  where  berries 
are  sent  to  the  canneries,  on  large  commercial 
plantations,  and  where  farm  labour  is  scarce 
or  not  reliable.  The  reason  for  this  is  be- 
cause less  labour  is  required  in  setting  and 
caring  for  the  plants,  and  the  crop  of  fruit 
is  larger. 


32  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

After  the  plants  are  set  in  rows  which  are 
three  to  three  and  a  half  feet  apart,  with  the 
plants  from  eighteen  to  thirty  inches  apart  in 
the  row,  the  runners  are  allowed  to  have  full 
swing  and  develop  as  many  plants  as  they 
will. 

In  cultivating,  the  machine  is  only  run  in 
one  direction,  and  as  the  plants  spread  the 
cultivated  space  narrows  until  twelve  or 
fifteen  inches  at  its  greatest  width. 

The  greatest  drawback  to  this  system  is 
that  many  great  plant-producing  straw- 
berries are  allowed  to  set  their  plants  too 
close  together,  resulting  in  a  somewhat  smaller 
crop  and  quite  small  fruit,  which  of  course 
will  not  bring  the  highest  price  in  the  market, 
and  also  costing  more  in  time  and  money  to 
pick.  Careful  attention  to  the  proper  thin- 
ning of  the  plants  in  too  heavily  set  matted 
rows  will  obviate  this  drawback. 

Single-hedge  row. — ^This  method  is  quite 
well  adapted  to  a  more  intensive  system  of 
strawberry  growing.  The  main  idea  is  to 
set  out  the  plants  in  rows  two  to  three  feet 
apart,  the  plants  being  twenty  to  thirty 
inches  apart  in  the  row.  Each  plant  is 
allowed   to   produce   two   runners,   and  one 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  33 

plant  is  produced  on  each  runner.  Other 
runners  are  clipped  off  as  soon  as  they  are 
produced. 

These  two  new  plants  are  trained  to  grow 
in  the  row  of  older  plants,  being  likened  to  the 
method  of  setting  a  row  of  plants,  each  plant 
being  one  foot  distant  from  Its  neighbour  in 
the  row,  and  allowing  no  runners  to  grow. 

The  great  advantages  of  this  system  are: 
larger  developed  plants,  tending  to  larger 
fruit;  ease  of  cultivation,  but  more  expensive, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  runners  must  be  cut, 
and  during  the  growing  season  strict  atten- 
tion must  be  given. 

Double-hedge  rows. — A  system  which  is  a 
development  of  the  single-hedge  row  idea, 
in  which  the  mother  plant  is  allowed  to  set 
either  four  or  six  plants  instead  of  but  two. 
These  plants  are  trained  to  form  three  rows, 
one  being  in  line  with  the  older  plants  and  a 
row  each  side  of  the  mother  plant  row,  each 
plant  having  a  certain  allotted  space,  which 
permits  ease  in  hoeing  and  cultivation,  also 
eliminates  crowding,  permitting  plenty  of 
sunlight  and  air  to  reach  each  plant  and 
giving  a  heavier  crop  of  large  berries  than  in 
the  single-hedge  row. 


34  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

The  plants  are  set  thirty  inches  apart  in 
the  row,  the  rows  three  feet  apart,  allowing, 
when  the  plants  are  grown,  about  one  half 
the  space  for  the  plants  and  one  half  for 
clean  culture. 

The  hill  system. — ^The  most  intensive  sys- 
tem of  strawberry  growing,  in  which  the 
plants  are  set  from  one  foot  apart  each  way, 
to  one  foot  apart  in  rows  eighteen  inches  to 
thirty  inches  apart,  the  plan  being  not  to 
allow  any  runners  or  new  plants  to  set,  but 
permitting  the  plants  to  grow  to  great  size, 
believing  that  more  and  larger  fruit  of  better 
quality  will  result. 

A  very  good  application  of  this  system  is 
that  carried  on  by  a  grower  in  New  Jersey. 
His  beds  are  marked  out  four  feet  apart,  with  a 
path  between  the  beds  one  foot  nine  and  three 
fourth  inches  wide.  These  beds  are  of  any 
length  desired.  The  plants  are  set  out  one 
foot  apart  each  way  in  the  four-foot  beds. 
By  planting  at  the  edge  of  the  bed,  near  the 
path,  there  will  be  five  rows  of  plants  across 
each  bed.  The  number  of  plants  required 
for  an  acre  is  33,795  or  1,940  plants  for 
a  space  25  by  100  feet.  His  results  have 
been  wonderfully  great.    His  method  has  been 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  35 

highly  recommended  by  many  who  have  in- 
vestigated. 

This  system,  being  so  very  "intense," 
requires  heavy  manuring  and  fertilizing,  as 
well  as  constant  cultivation  and  attention 
to  runner  cutting.  The  plants  are  very  large, 
are  well  supplied  with  blossoms  in  the  fruit- 
ing season,  and  are  loaded  with  fruit  later. 

A  plan  somewhat  similar  to  this  hill 
system  was  used  in  England  many  years  ago, 
the  plants  being  hilled  instead  of  grown  under 
flat  culture,  and  no  runners  allowed  to  form. 
This  system  is  particularly  adapted  to  the 
small  grower,  especially  if  the  land  is  high 
priced.  It  cannot  be  used  to  advantage  by 
the  large  commercial  grower  owing  to  the 
great  amount  of  labour  required,  resulting  in 
heavier  expense. 

COMPANION    OR   INTER-CROPPING 

The  strawberry  is  a  fine  plant  to  use  at 
the  time  of  setting  out  a  young  orchard. 
Strawberries  can  be  planted  between  the 
rows  of  trees  and  thereby  give  returns  to 
the  grower  long  before  the  trees  could  pos- 
sibly produce  any.  The  strawberry  is  con- 
sidered by  some  people  to  be  the  very  best 


36  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

crop  for  inter-planting  in  an  orchard  for  the 
following  reasons; 

1.  It  does  not  rob  the  trees  of  plant  food. 

2.  It  does  not  rob  the  trees  of  sunlight. 

3.  It  requires  good  cultivation;  the  trees 
are  benefited  by  this  thorough  working  of  the 
land. 

4.  It  requires  fertilizing  or  manuring. 

5.  Strawberries  require  some  attention. 
At  the  same  time  the  grower  becomes  ac- 
quainted with  the  trees. 

HOW  MUCH   TO   PLANT 

From  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  plants 
well  cared  for  will  answer  for  the  majority  of 
families  who  have  but  small  space  to  give 
to  growing  and  little  time  to  caring  for  the 
plants. 

The  majority  of  farmers,  owing  to  the 
possibility  that  labour  will  be  scarce  during 
weeding  time,  or  the  hens  getting  out,  or 
some  other  cause,  require  a  larger  bed. 
About  100  to  250  plants,  well  set,  will  give 
returns  enough  for  the  farmer's  family. 
This  of  course  may  be  regulated  by  the  size 
of  the  family  and  the  attention  given  to  the 
bed. 


2  -^ 


MARKING   AND    PLANTING  yj 

In  the  case  of  the  specialist,  some  would  do 
better  on  less  acreage  better  cared  for,  while 
others  have  no  limit  to  the  size  of  the  plan- 
tation they  can  handle  profitably. 

Some  of  the  factors  that  the  specialist 
must  bear  in  mind  are: 

1.  His  own  ability  as  plant  producer,  fruit 
grower  and  business  man. 

2.  Adaptability  of  his  land  to  strawberry 
growing. 

3.  Markets  catered  to,  demands  of  the 
same  as  to  berry  packing,  package,  season, 
etc. 

4.  Advisability  of  advertising,  etc. 

It  is  advisable  for  all  three  classes  of 
growers  to  start  slowly  with  a  few  varieties, 
building  up  as  the  demand  warrants.  After 
a  few  years'  test  on  a  small  plot  of  some  of 
the  newer  and  more  promising  varieties,  in- 
troduce the  best  and  cater  strictly  to  the 
largest  money  getter. 


CHAPTER  IV 
After  Care  —  Fertilizers 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  make  the  soil  too 
rich  for  strawberries.  Hence  it  is  desirable 
that  available  plant  food  should  be  present 
to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  the  plants, 
particularly  with  the  mineral  element  phos- 
phoric acid,  both  soluble  and  available. 

There  are  several  ways  and  materials  by 
which  it  is  possible  to  supply  this  food  de- 
mand. Coarse  manures,  turned  under  very 
early  and  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the 
soil,  will  begin  to  decompose  before  setting 
time,  the  foods  thereby  being  in  some  supply 
at  this  time.  Cover  crops,  or  C  rops  grown 
particularly  for  green  manuring,  will  also 
serve  the  same  purpose  as  coarse  manure;  in 
fact,  where  a  supply  of  the  latter  material 
is  not  available,  the  green  manuring  will 
satisfactorily  take  the  place  of  the  other 
material,    especially    if    the    deficiencies    in 


AFTER    CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  39 

plant  food  required  are  made  up  by  minerals, 
such  as  nitrate  of  soda,  acid  phosphate  and 
muriate  of  potash. 

The  statement  is  often  made  that  well- 
rotted  manure,  thoroughly  worked  into  the 
soil,  is  the  best  fertilizer.  This  is  quite  true 
in  the  majority  of  cases,  especially  where  an 
abundance  of  the  material  is  used. 

Why  is  this  so.^ 

I.  Manure  contains  a  large  amount  of 
vegetable  material,  sometimes  called  humus, 
which  improves  the  physical  conditions  of 
the  soil  by: 

(a)  By  making  a  clay  soil  less  compact, 
resulting  in  a  more  open  and  porous  soil. 

{b)By  making  a  sandy  soil  less  leachy  and 
porous. 

(c)  By  making  both  these  soils  retain 
more  water,  thereby  somewhat  preventing 
drought. 

(d)  By  permitting  ease  of  root  growth. 

(e)  By  giving  the  roots  greater  feeding 
surface. 

(/")  By  increasing  the  activities  of  the  soil, 
thereby  increasing  the  available  plant  food, 
etc. 

Oftentimes,    from    lack    of    humus,     low 


40  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

yields  result.  This  is  especially  so  in  dry 
seasons. 

2.  Manures  contain  a  fair  amount  of 
plant  food  which  on  being  decomposed  is 
available  to  the  plants,  nitrogen  being  the 
predominating  element.  It  has  the  draw- 
back though  of  not  containing  a  balanced 
food  ration.  This  may,  however,  be  reme- 
died by  supplying  the  deficient  elements 
with  a  subsequent  application  of  artificial 
fertilizers. 

As  recommended  elsewhere,  i8  to  20  tons 
of  manure,  spread  on  the  soil  and  thoroughly 
worked  in,  is  sufficient  for  the  crop  the  first 
year,  although  some  growers  use  as  high  as 
forty  tons  to  the  acre.  By  carefully  watch- 
ing the  plants,  any  lack  of  growth  by  them 
can  be  overcome  by  applications,  on  an  acre 
basis,  of  lOO  to  300  pounds  of  nitrate  of  soda, 
200  to  300  pounds  of  muriate  of  potash  or 
400  to  500  pounds  of  acid  phosphate,  or  in 
combination  about  300  to  400  pounds  of 
the  mixture  being  used  per  acre.  It  is 
much  better  to  give  the  plants  two  or  three 
small  doses  than  one  large  dose.  Nitrogen 
is  a  great  growth  stimulator  making  the 
plants    rank    and    green.      Caution:     Too 


AFTER   CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  4I 

much  nitrogen  may  result  in  excessive  growth 
rather  than  fruit.  Potash  will  give  a  stocky, 
compact  growth,  and  phosphoric  acid  with 
potash  has  a  tendency  to  earliness  in  pro- 
duction, solidity  coupled  with  quality  and 
colour  of  the  fruit. 

If  barnyard  manure  be  used  as  a  mulch  the 
first  year,  during  the  fall,  winter,  and  early 
spring,  it  will  be  sufficient  for  the  crop  in  the 
second  year.  Of  course  the  major  part  of 
the  coarse  material  of  the  manure,  such  as 
long  straw,  weeds  or  hay,  will  be  removed  in 
the  spring,  allowing  the  finer  parts  to  come 
into  close  contact  with  the  moist  soil. 

Knowing  that  the  preparation  period  of 
growth  of  the  strawberry  before  bearing  is 
but  one  year,  and  that  getting  a  large  crop 
of  good  size  and  good  quality  fruits  depends 
upon  the  acquired  strength,  growth,  and 
vigour  of  the  plant  during  this  priod,  it  is 
highly  important  that  all  the  surrounding 
conditions  should  be  of  the  very  best. 

This  being  true,  and  the  fact  that  stable 
manure  for  one  reason  or  another  is  out  of  the 
question,  what  can  be  done  to  obtain  a  maxi- 
mum crop  of  fruit?  Many  writers  advise 
applications    of    chemicals  without    any  re- 


42  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

gard  to  the  condition  of  the  soil,  but  that  is 
not  wise.  They  would  find  it  out  too,  if  they 
held  the  plough  or  set  the  plants,  or  in  some 
other  way  carried  on  the  practical  growing  of 
the  fruit. 

The  condition  of  the  land  must  be  taken 
into  consideration.  If  it  be  in  a  fair  state  of 
fertility,  as  shown  by  its  production  of  a  fair 
crop  of  potatoes  or  corn  the  season  just  pre- 
vious, then  fertilizer  could  be  used  to  advan- 
tage. It  would  not,  however,  be  advisable 
to  plant  on  land  on  which  for  several  years 
fertilizer  alone  had  been  used,  nor  even  on 
renovated  pasture  land  not  manured.  The 
best  land  is  that  which  not  more  than  two 
or  three  years  previous  produced  a  good  sod. 
This  would  result  in  there  being  humus  in 
the  soil,  which  spells  good  physical  condition 
of  the  soil. 

With  a  proper  soil  chemicals  alone  can  be 
used,  sowing  broadcast  and  harrowing  in, 
just  before  setting  the  plants,  about  1,500 
to  2,000  pounds  to  the  acre  of  the  following 
mixture: 

150  pounds  Nitrate  of  soda  )  j^.  qr 

600  pounds  Tankage  j  K         'y/o 

800  pounds  Acid  phosphate  Phosphoric  acid  9.4% 

450  pounds  Muriate  of  potash  Potash  10.7% 


AFTER    CARE  FERTILIZERS  43 

or  as  recommended  by  the  New  Hampshire 
Experiment  Station. 

100  pounds  Nitrate  of  soda  j  xt*^  rw 

500  pounds  Tankage  f  Nitrogen  2.5% 

1000  pounds  Acid  phosphate  Phosphoric  acid  10% 

400  pounds  Muriate  of  potash  Potash  10% 

Follow  this  with  an  application  of  a  mix- 
ture strong  in  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid 
at  the  rate  of  300  to  500  pounds  per  acre,  ap- 
plied along  the  row  during  the  end  of  June  or 
beginning  of  July.  This  application  should 
be  made  only  in  case  the  runners  are  few  or 
lacking  in  size.  Many  growers  use  two  or 
three  applications  of  nitrate  of  soda  through 
the  summer  at  the  rate  of  100  pounds  to 
150  pounds  per  acre  each  time. 

In  the  spring  of  the  second  year  apply 
600  to  1,000  pounds  of  the  first  mixture, 
especially  if  the  plants  need  stimulation 
because  of  winter  Injury  or  otherwise.  Some- 
times 100  to  150  pounds  of  nitrate  is  all  that 
is  required  to  Increase  the  size  of  the  fruit. 
This  nitrate  Is  applied  at  the  time  of  the 
petals  falling,  spread  In  the  row. 

Do  not  apply  fertilizers  when  the  leaves  are 
wet,  nor  leave  the  fertilizer  so  that  It  will  re- 
main on  the  leaves,  becoming  moist,  even  dis- 


44  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

solved,  during  the  night,  which  would  result 
in  leaf  injury,  called  burning.  A  little  time 
spent  lightly  brushing  the  leaves  in  the  rows 
after  the  application  of  fertilizer  may  save 
many  dollars  for  the  grower. 

There  are  many  ways  by  which  artificial 
fertilizer  may  be  applied.  The  most  common 
being  by  hand  from  a  pail  carried  in  the  crook 
of  the  arm.  Swing  the  hand  and  arm  as  for 
sowing  seed  broadcast,  experience  being  the 
best  teacher,  if  it  is  desired  to  find  out  just 
how  to  apply  and  how  much  per  acre. 
Either  the  one  or  two  horse  machine  fertili- 
zer spreader  does  very  good  work,  and  can  be 
used  if  the  acreage  is  so  large  that  hand  dis- 
tributing is  impracticable. 

CULTIVATION 

"Tillage  is  manure."  Although  not  lit- 
erally true,  it  comes  very  near  being  so. 
How  great  an  influence  tillage  has  in  the 
production  of  large  crops  of  any  kind! 

Successful  strawberry  plants  cannot  be 
obtained  without  good  tillage,  and  without 
good  thrifty  plants  how  is  it  possible  to  pro- 
duce large  crops  of  the  best  berries?  Now 
what  is  good  tillage  in  strawberry  culture? 


AFTER    CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  45 

We  have  learned  that  the  roots  of  straw- 
berries are  not  very  large  nor  numerous,  that 
they  do  not  extend  far  into  the  soil,  but  are 
relatively  surface  feeders.  It  would  there- 
fore be  advisable  to  cultivate  shallow  so  as 
not  to  Injure  these  tender  roots. 

It  Is  also  known  that  the  plant  In  Its 
growth  uses  large  amounts  of  water  to  dis- 
solve the  food  In  the  soil.  This  then  Is 
taken  In  by  the  roots  and  finally  passed  off 
In  the  air  by  the  process  of  transpiration  of 
the  leaves.  Each  pound  of  dry  material 
of  the  plant  would  then  be  obtained  at  the 
expense  of  many  pounds  of  water.  From 
this  fact  conservation  of  moisture  In  the  soil 
Is  very  Important.  This  may  be  accom- 
plished by  cultivating  thoroughly  the  entire 
surface  of  the  soil,  leaving  a  dust  blanket 
to  stop  the  evaporation  of  water  from  the 
soil. 

Another  point  of  interest  In  cultivation  is 
the  mechanical  effect  of  grinding  the  soil, 
thereby  breaking  It  up  into  smaller  pieces. 
This  may  be  easily  understood  when  we 
consider  how  nature  breaks  up  the  larger 
rocks  by  the  action  of  rubbing  one  on  the 
other  In  the  many  streams  or  bodies  of  water, 


46  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

reducing  them  finally  to  very  small  particles. 
These  small  pieces  again  are  found  to  be 
more  easily  dissolved  or  some  part  of  them 
in  the  soil  water,  thereby  increasing  the  avail- 
able plant  food  of  the  soil. 

In  a  very  dry  summer  good  tillage,  with 
its  blanket  soil-mulch,  conserves  moisture, 
thereby  helping  to  counterbalance  the  great 
evil  of  drought,  resulting  year  after  year  in 
more  even  crops. 

Cultivation  also  offers  more  opportunity 
for  rains  to  enter  the  soil,  owing  to  the  more 
open  texture  of  the  soil,  and  if  tillage  is 
practised  very  soon  after  the  rain  the  soil 
crust  will  be  broken,  and  the  moisture  con- 
served. It  is,  however,  highly  important 
that  the  tillage  be  level,  as  there  is  less  soil 
exposed,  therefore  less  drying  out 

These  are  not  the  only  benefits  of  tillage; 
large  quantities  of  weeds  are  destroyed 
annually  by  good  cultivation.  It  is  quite 
easy  to  control  weeds  if  work  is  begun  before 
they  are  more  than  an  inch  or  two  high, 
as  the  roots  of  the  weeds  are  shallow  at 
this  stage  and  the  growth  tender.  If  the 
weeds  are  allowed  to  grow  for  some  little 
time,   competition    between    them    and  the 


AFTER    CARE  FERTILIZERS  47 

Strawberry  plants  is  so  great  that  the  latter 
suffer  by  being  robbed  of  sunlight,  space, 
and  food. 

Weeds  are  a  godsend  to  man,  as  they  com- 
pel him  to  cultivate  his  land,  thereby  helping 
him  to  harvest  larger  crops. 

TOOLS 

The  one-horse  eleven-toothed  cultivator, 
the  teeth  of  which  are  small,  is  one  of  the 
best  tools  to  use  in  cultivating  the  straw- 
berry bed.  By  its  lever  to  regulate  the  depth 
the  teeth  can  be  run  quite  shallow,  and  with 
the  other  lever,  the  machine  can  be  opened 
or  made  narrower  to  suit  the  convenience  of 
the  operator.  Its  leaving  the  bed  so  level, 
the  soil  so  fine,  and  its  ability  to  run  quite 
close  to  the  plant  without  injury  or  covering 
are  some  of  the  chief  advantages  of  this 
machine.  If  the  grower  uses  the  hand  hoe  in 
the  rows  of  plants,  the  bed  can  be  kept  in  the 
very  best  of  tilth  with  these  two  tools  alone. 

For  small  beds,  or  for  very  narrow  rows 
such  as  are  formed  when  planting  by  the 
hill  system,  a  man  power  wheel-hoe  or  culti- 
vator like  the  Planet,  Jr.,  Iron  Age,  Columbia 
etc.,  which   sells   for   about   $4.50,   is    very 


48  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

advisable.     This    small   machine   does   very 
good  work  and  Is  a  great  labour  saver. 

There  are  many  other  tools  for  cultiva- 
tion, such  as  riding  cultivators,  walking 
cultivators,  many  hoes,  etc.,  but  for  the  very 
best  work  the  ones  previously  mentioned, 
from  the  practical  side  are  superior,  because 
they  (i)  are  easy  working  tools,  of  light  draft; 
(2)  can  be  used  very  close  to  plants  without 
injury;  (3)  leave  the  soil  level  and  in  fine 
particles,  making  the  best  dust  blanket;  (4) 
are  shallow  cultivating  tools. 

HOW    OFTEN    TO    CULTIVATE.'^ 

Many  rules  or  suggestions  are  given  in 
answer  to  the  question.  How  often  to  culti- 
vate.^ It  would  seem  that  the  frequency  of 
cultivation  would  depend  on  the  amount  and 
time  of  the  rainfall.  Good  advice  is:  "as 
soon  as  possible  after  every  rain." 

But  what  if  it  does  not  rain  for  a  long 
period.^  It  is  best  In  this  case  to  cultivate 
every  ten  days  or  two  weeks,  as  the  mechan- 
ical influence  on  the  soil  as  well  as  the  making 
sure  that  the  mulch  is  working  properly 
will  help  to  offset  the  expense  of  cultivation. 
Continue  this  cultivation  from  the  earliest 


AFTER   CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  49 

possible  moment  in  the  case  of  new  beds,  up 
to  the  close  of  the  season  in  the  fall,  as  it  is 
important  to  keep  the  plants  growing. 

In  the  case  of  old  beds,  cultivation  be- 
gins after  fruiting  and  continues  through  the 
remainder  of  the  season. 

CUTTING    RUNNERS 

Runners  have  to  be  cut  in  many  of  the 
systems  of  management.  This  is  done  with 
a  sharp  hoe,  spud,  wheeled  disk  runner  cut- 
ter, or  some  other  sharp  tool.  The  tool 
used  depending  upon  the  labour  or  time 
which  can  be  devoted  to  this  work. 

It  is  necessary  to  go  over  the  beds  where 
runners  are  to  be  cut  every  few  days  and  all 
surplus  runners  removed.  The  less  growth 
the  runners  make  before  being  cut  off,  the 
less  food,  water,  etc.,  they  take  from  the 
mother  plant,  giving  the  latter  plant  more 
opportunity  for  increased  development  of 
itself. 

IRRIGATION 

A  careful  search  into  the  history  of  the 
agriculture  of  various  countries  of  the 
world  shows  that  irrigation  is  and  has  been 


50  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

carried  on  to  a  great  extent  in  the  growing 
and  maturing  of  many  crops. 

Some  of  the  methods  used  by  these  various 
countries  would  be  called  crude  by  Americans, 
but  we  find  even  so  that  the  systems  were 
very  practical  under  their  conditions. 

What  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  irri- 
gation is  so  important? 

1.  Water  gives  more  than  half  of  the 
materials  which  make  up  the  dry  matter  of 
plants. 

2.  Water  constitutes  from  50  to  90  per 
cent,  of  the  weight  of  plants  in  their  green 
stage. 

3.  Soil  organisms  depend  for  their  normal 
activity  on  the  correct  amount  of  soil  mois- 
tures; otherwise  they  do  not  work  so  fast. 

4.  Root  hairs  only  absorb  moisture 
through  the  soil.  In  this  moisture  is  dis- 
solved plant-food,  therefore  without  mois- 
ture there  is  no  absorption,  resulting  in  lack 
of  growth  and  death. 

5.  With  a  lack  of  rain  in  the  spring,  fer- 
tilizer is  of  little  avail,  owing  to  being  not 
dissolved;  irrigation  makes  this  fertilizer 
available. 

After  these  reasons  are  carefully  taken  into 


AFTERCARE  —  FERTILIZERS  5 1 

consideration,  it  is  seen  that  lack  of  moisture 
at  the  proper  time  is  very  detrimental  to 
plant  growth. 

What  help  can  we  expect  from  tillage  to 
overcome  these  conditions?  As  to  adding 
water  to  the  soil  by  careful  tillage,  it  has  not 
been  demonstrated  that  it  is  possible  to  do 
so.  Tillage's  main  help  is  in  retaining  in  the 
soil  water  which  falls  as  rain,  holding  it 
there  until  the  roots  of  the  plant  take  it  up. 
Tillage  cannot  in  any  way  reduce  the  amount 
of  water,  which  is  lost  by  the  process  of  tran- 
spiration through  the  plant.  It  cannot  be 
expected  that  the  largest  crops  will  grow 
without  water,  or  that  tillage  alone  can  take 
the  place  of  water.  With  sufficient  water 
in  the  soil,  it  is  possible,  by  good  tillage, 
to  obtain  the  heaviest  crops  nevertheless. 
If  there  is  a  deficiency  of  rain,  nothing 
short  of  irrigation  will  produce  a  large 
crop. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  straw- 
berry is  a  very  shallow  feeder,  and  from  this 
it  is  very  easy  to  see  that  in  droughty  springs 
or  summers,  if  the  plants  are  not  irrigated, 
the  resultant  crop  will  suffer  greatly.  This 
fact  has  been  quite  well  brought  out  by  ex- 


52  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

perlments  conducted     by  Professor  Goff  of 
Wisconsin : 

In  1894,  irrigated  acre  yield  was  214.6  bushels;  in 
1895  irrigated  acre  yield  was  279.9  bushels;  mean  yield, 
243.8  bushels. 

In  1894  the  non-irrigated  yield  was  109.3  bushels;  in 
1895  the  non-irrigated  yield  was  32.3  bushels;  mean 
yield,  70.8  bushels. 

This  showed  a  difference  in  their  mean 
yield  of  173  bushels  in  favour  of  the  irrigated 
patch.  Not  only  was  there  a  larger  yield, 
but  the  quality  of  the  fruit  was  improved, 
and  the  berry  being  larger  was  more  salable. 

When  irrigation  is  to  be  practised  there 
are  several  points  which  determine  how 
much  water  should  be  applied  at  each  time. 

1.  How  dry  the  soil  is.  The  drier  the 
soil  the  more  water  is  needed  to  thoroughly 
moisten  it. 

2.  Whether  or  not  the  soil  is  leachy,  or 
otherwise  unable  to  conserve  water.  Leachy 
soil  requires  irrigation  more  often. 

3.  Whether  or  not  the  feeding  surface  for 
the  roots  is  shallow  or  deep.  The  deeper  and 
the  finer  the  soil  texture  the  more  moisture 
it  is  capable  of  holding. 

4.  The  amount  and  rate  of  the  movement 


AFTER   CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  53 

of  soil  water  called  ^' capillarity."  If  there 
is  a  good  definite  movement  of  sufl&cient 
water  from  the  subsoil  to  the  topsoil,  irri- 
gation is  not  necessary. 

5.  The  amount  of  loss  by  evaporation  of 
the  water  from  the  soil  and  the  rate  of  loss 
by  transpiration  from  the  crop.  The  greater 
the  loss  in  both  cases  the  greater  the  need  for 
irrigation  and  vice  versa. 

In  terms  of  water :  if  one  quarter  of  a  cubic 
foot  of  water  per  second  be  applied  to  an  acre 
of  ground  for  about  eight  hours,  it  will  have 
covered  the  surface  of  this  acre  to  the  depth 
of  about  two  inches.  If  this  application  is  re- 
peated once  in  ten  days  for  five  irrigations  it 
will  be  equal  to  about  ten  inches  of  rain  in 
fifty  days.  This  will  be  quite  above  the  nor- 
mal rainfall,  and  from  results  obtained  will 
fulfil  the  objects  of  irrigation. 

SYSTEMS    OF    IRRIGATION 

Flooding. — ^This  particular  system  is  very 
little  practised  in  strawberry  culture,  but 
might  be  advantageously  used  in  extreme 
cases  where  a  large  amount  of  water  was 
needed  at  once.  It  consists  of  building  a 
bank  or  furrow  around  the  bed   of  straw- 


54  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

berries,  causing  the  water  to  cover  the  ground 
completely,  either  pumping  in  the  water  at 
some  convenient  place,  or  damming  up  a 
convenient  brook  or  stream. 

Furrows. — It  is  a  very  common  practice 
in  the  West  or  mid-West  to  lay  out  a  straw- 
berry field  in  such  a  way  that  water  from  large 
main  irrigation  ditches  can  be  brought  on  the 
field  and  led  only  in  the  alternate  rows  of 
strawberries  (because  the  rows  between  must 
be  firm  ground  for  the  pickers)  in  deep,  broad 
furrows,  holding  the  water  in  these  trenches 
until  it  has  spread  considerably  in  a  lateral 
direction.  It  is  not  possible,  in  these 
droughty  sections,  without  this  or  some  other 
method,  to  place  enough  water  at  fruit  time 
within  reach  of  the  roots  so  that  irrigation 
would  be  unnecessary.  The  chief  objection 
to  this  method  is  the  fact  that  it  is  not  eco- 
nomical of  water.  This  would  be  quite  a  fac- 
tor if  the  water  were  bought  by  the  gallon. 

Sub-irrigation,  —  As  its  name  implies, 
something  below.  Where  this  method  is 
used  lines  of  tile  or  perforated  pipe  of  vary- 
ing sizes  and  lengths  are  laid  below  the  sur- 
face, generally  one  or  more  large  mains  with 
many  smaller  laterals,  sometimes  the  mains 


AFTERCARE  —  FERTILIZERS  55 

being  at  the  edge  of  the  strawberry  patch  and 
the  laterals  laid  beneath  each  matted  row  of 
strawberries.  More  often  the  main  is  laid  with 
laterals  every  ten  or  twenty  feet  apart  without 
regard  to  the  crop  planted  on  the  soil. 
The  advantages  of  this  system  are: 

1.  As  the  water  comes  from  below  up  it  is 
a  great  deal  like  capillarity,  sometimes 
spoken  of  as  an  ideal  method. 

2.  Compared  to  the  furrow,  it  is  less  ex- 
pensive, as  once  installed  it  will  last  for  years, 
as  it  does  not  require  moving  of  the  soil  each 
year. 

3.  Does  away  with  any  obstruction  in  the 
field,  everything  being  below  ground.  Its 
greatest  advantage. 

4.  Earth  mulches  once  given,  are  not  de- 
stroyed by  this  method. 

Following  are  the  disadvantages: 

1.  Water  does  not  spread  laterally  from 
these  pipes  sufficiently,  so  it  is  difficult  to 
give  the  crop  enough  water. 

2.  Owing  to  above,  in  order  to  force  water 
laterally,  more  water  is  needed  than  by  the 
furrow  method. 

3.  Where  cost  of  water  is  high  it  would 
therefore  be  too  .expensive. 


56  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

4.  Tile  costs  about  ^90  per  acre,  where 
they  are  laid  in  rows  five  feet  apart,  and  in 
good  digging  not  less  than  $20  per  acre  is 
required  to  lay  the  same;  therefore  too  ex- 
pensive. 

5.  Rains  fall  from  above  and  soak  into  the 
soil,  drawing  air  down  into  the  soil,  causing 
the  soil  to  be  aerated.  Sub-irrigation  lessens 
this  process  as  the  water  does  not  draw  so 
much  air  into  the  soil. 

Overhead  system. — ^To  date,  this  may  be 
called  the  best  system  as  it  has  many  of  the 
advantages  of  the  former  methods  and  more 
advantages  of  its  own.  It  is  very  economi- 
cal of  labour  and  water,  resulting  in  great 
savings  where  these  two  items  are  costly. 

The  Skinner  system  is  typical  of  this 
method,  and  was  first  used  by  the  inventor 
in  the  spring  of  1897,  and  has  been  in  con- 
tinuous operation  since.  It  was  first  given 
to  the  public  in  1904, 

The  system  consists  of  parallel  lines  of  pipe, 
in  which  are  inserted  especially  devised 
nozzles,  located  in  the  pipe  at  distances  ap- 
proximately four  feet  apart.  The  nozzle  lines 
are  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  apart,  depending 
upon    the    local    conditions.     The   water   is 


AFTER   CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  57 

distributed  in  a  manner  which  insures  abso- 
lute uniformity,  which  covers  every  square 
inch  of  the  soil,  and  is  under  control  of 
the  operator.  A  turning  device  enables  the 
operator,  by  one  movement,  and  without 
leaving  the  power  house,  to  control  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  water  on  a  large  acreage. 

Besides  giving  water  for  the  growing  crop 
it  also  affords  protection  against  frost.  It 
should  be  noted,  however,  that  it  is  practi- 
cally useless  to  apply  the  water  after  the  plant 
has  been  frozen  or  touched  with  frost.  The 
pipes  must  be  kept  moving  so  that  the  water 
is  applied  on  a  given  place  at  intervals  of 
not  to  exceed  two  minutes'  duration.  The 
sprinkling  should  be  begun  previous  to  the 
frost  and  continued  throughout  the  night 
until  the  temperature  rises  above  the  danger 
point. 

It  may  seem  incongruous  that  a  plant  can 
be  protected  from  the  frost  and  at  the  same 
time  be  covered  with  ice,  but  this  is  neverthe- 
less true.  Water  in  freezing  parts  with  as 
much  heat  as  in  dropping  from  112  to  32 
degrees.  With  the  Skinner  system,  in  seven 
hours  and  with  a  pressure  of  thirty  pounds, 
there  can  be  applied  on  a  ten-acre  plot  one 


58  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

and  one  half  tons  of  water  every  minute. 
This  furnishes  abundant  protection. 

Uniformity  of  distribution  is  also  gained, 
which  is  second  only  in  importance  to  the 
requirement  of  applying  water.  The  soil 
can  be  watered  to  any  degree  of  dampness 
without  any  uncertainty  or  irregularity. 

It  has  been  the  common  belief  that  water 
upon  the  foliage  of  the  plant  is  injurious  to  it, 
both  because  of  a  possible  tendency  to  fun- 
gous growth  and  also  because  of  the  action  of 
the  sun's  rays.  This  is  contrary  to  the  fact 
that  the  most  luxuriant  foliage  is  to  be  found 
in  the  hot,  moisture-laden  atmosphere  of  the 
torrid  zone. 

Exhaustive  experiments  have  proved  the 
common  belief  to  be  in  error  and  have  shown 
that  the  tendency  to  fungous  growth  is  due, 
not  to  the  application  of  water  on  the  foliage, 
but  to  the  bruised  condition  and  injured  tex- 
ture of  the  plant,  caused  by  improper  appli- 
cation of  water.  They  have  also  proved  that 
the  action  of  the  sun  is  not  injurious  to  the 
moisture-laden  foliage,  but  that  moisture  on 
the  surface  of  the  soil  will,  under  the  sun's 
rays,  injure  the  growth. 

The  cost  of  installation  of  this  system  is 


AFTER   CARE  —  FERTILIZERS  59 

less  than  that  of  any  other  irrigation  system, 
which  might  be  considered.  The  cost  of  a 
field  equipment  varies  with  each  particular 
installation,  ranging  from  ^90  to  ^150  per 
acre;  however,  the  usual  cost  for  this  equip- 
ment lies  between  ^100  and  ^125  per  acre. 
This  figure  does  not  include  the  pumping 
plant,  the  cost  of  which,  together  with  the 
cost  of  the  mains  leading  to  the  field,  should 
be  added. 

The  investment  is  permanent,  and  the  life 
of  the  system  is  limited  only  by  the  life  of  the 
pipe  used  to  conduct  the  water.  Owing  to 
the  fact  that  this  system  can  be  operated 
with  less  pressure  and  with  less  water  waste 
than  any  other  known  system  of  this  form  of 
irrigation^  the  cost  of  installing  a  pumping 
plant  is  reduced  to  a  minimum.  It  may  be 
added  also  that  fertilizers  and  fungicides  in 
solution  may  also  be  distributed  through 
these  pipes  under  certain  circumstances. 


CHAPTER  V 

Insects,  Diseases,  and  Spraying 

Several  years  ago  spraying  was  not 
considered  necessary  for  the  production 
of  a  large  crop  of  good  quality,  but  with  the 
increase  in  the  acreage  and  the  multiplication 
of  varieties,  the  insects  and  diseases  have 
become  so  troublesome  that  in  very  many 
places  where  strawberries  are  grown  it  is 
highly  important  that  spraying  and  other 
advanced  methods  should  be  carried  on 
in  order  to  grow  this  crop  successfully. 

With  the  demand  for  knowledge  concerning 
these  insects  and  diseases  among  the  growers, 
more  and  closer  study  of  this  valuable  fruit 
has  been  forced  on  experimenters  and 
students  throughout  the  country,  as  well  as 
upon  the  manufacturers  of  spraying  machines 
who  try  somewhat  to  cater  to  the  needs  of 
the  growers  and  students.  There  is,  however, 
room  for  improvement  along  these  lines. 
60 


INSECTS,    DISEASES,    AND    SPRAYING       6l 

The  most  important  thing  to  know  before 
spraying  is,  what  we  are  spraying  for.  To 
this  end  it  is  necessary  to  have  some  idea  of 
the  many  enemies,  both  insects  and  fungi, 
which  prey  upon  the  strawberry. 

It  is,  however,  quite  important  that 
spraying  begin  quite  early  and  continue 
as  long  as  needed  throughout  the  season. 
It  is  easier  to  check  or  control  enemies  when 
they  first  begin  to  be  troublesome  in  the 
early  spring  than  it  is  to  try  to  overcome  or 
subdue  them  after  they  have  become  estab- 
lished. In  fact,  with  some  insects  and 
diseases  it  is  very  hard  work,  if  not  next 
to  impossible,  to  do  much  to  stop  their 
ravages  after  once  they  have  a  good  start. 
The  more  important  pests  are  described 
below ; 

INSECTS 

Root  eaters.  —  There  are  at  least  three 
species  of  beetle  which  in  the  larval  or  grub 
stage  live  in  the  ground  and  feed  upon 
the  fibrous  roots  of  the  strawberry  plants. 
As  their  life  history  and  description  are  so 
nearly  alike,  they  can  all  be  called  white  grubs 
or  June   bug   larvae.      These   grubs   are   so 


62  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

common  throughout  the  United  States  that 
they  need  no  introduction.  They  are  particu- 
larly abundant  in  grasslands,  both  meadows 
and  pastures,  owing  to  the  fact  that  their 
principal  food  is  the  roots  of  grass,  weeds, 
and  herbs.  These  insects  destroy  practi- 
cally every  strawberry  plant  almost  as  soon 
as  it  is  set,  if  sod  ground  is  used  for  grow- 
ing strawberries. 

When  the  grubs  have  become  full-grown, 
they  have  a  rest  period  or  pupal  stage  in 
which  they  encase  themselves  in  earthen 
cells  in  the  soil.  After  a  certain  lapse  of 
time  they  come  out  as  small  beetles  and  feed 
upon  the  foliage  of  the  plants,  sometimes 
doing  considerable  damage. 

The  remedy  for  the  insects  in  the  larval 
stage  is  to  fall  plough  sod  land,  following  this 
by  one  or  more  years  of  crops  that  require 
good  tillage.  In  the  case  of  the  strawberry 
beds  being  affected,  it  would  be  very  difficult 
to  deal  with  the  grubs  on  account  of  their 
underground  habits.  If  badly  affected  it 
would  be  better  to  plough  up.  Breeding 
grounds,  such  as  old  strawberry  beds,  should 
not  be  allowed  to  remain. 

Crown    eaters. —  Several    different   insects 


INSECTS,    DISEASES,    AND    SPRAYING        63 

attack  the  crown  of  the  strawberry,  the  crown 
miner  being  one  of  the  more  important.  This 
is  a  small,  reddish  caterpillar  that  constructs 
or  bores  irregular  passages  through  the  crowns 
of  the  plants.  No  successful  remedy  has  thus 
far  been  brought  forth.  Fields  badly  infested 
should  be  ploughed  up. 

Another  crown  borer  is  the  common  white, 
footless,  yellow-headed  grub,  so  destructive 
in  the  strawberry  fields  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  and  the  mid-West.  The  eggs  are 
laid  in  the  spring  in  the  crowns  of  the  plants. 
Soon  after  hatching  the  small  worm  or  larva 
eats  its  way  into  the  crown,  hollowing  out 
from  one  third  to  one  half  of  the  crown  during 
the  summer,  or  until  the  grub  gets  its  growth. 
If  more  than  one  larva  is  excavating  the  same 
crown  the  plant  is  practically  killed  by  their 
work.  The  rest  stage  is  carried  on  in  the 
cavity  of  the  crown  and  the  final  change 
to  a  mature,  small,  dark-coloured  snout- 
beetle  is  brought  about  in  the  same  place. 
The  adults  come  out  in  the  autumn,  feeding 
upon  the  plants  and  wintering  not  far  from 
where  they  were  hatched,  as  they  are  unable 
to  fly.  Egg  laying  begins  early  in  the 
spring. 


64  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Owing  to  the  rudimentary  condition  of 
the  wings  of  this  insect,  it  does  not  pass 
rapidly  from  one  field  to  another,  so  trouble 
from  this  source  would  be  considerably 
modified  by  a  good  system  of  rotation.  If 
plants  are  to  be  taken  from  old  beds  they 
should  be  removed  before  the  insect  lays 
its  eggs.  Spraying  in  the  fall  with  arsenates 
will  result  in  the  destruction  of  many  of  the 
beetles.  The  burning  over  of  old  beds  after 
picking  the  crop  is  very  beneficial  in  destroy- 
ing great  numbers  of  these  insects. 

Leaf  eaters. —  The  most  injurious  insect 
of  the  strawberry  is  the  leaf  roller.  This  is 
a  small,  brownish  caterpillar  that  folds  one 
of  the  sections  of  the  leaf  of  the  strawberry 
by  fastening  the  upper  surfaces  together 
with  very  fine  silken  threads,  feeding  upon 
the  enclosed  surface  until  the  leaf  turns 
brown.  When  the  larva  is  full-grown  it 
is  about  half  an  inch  long.  It  then  pupates, 
or  rests,  inside  the  rolled  leaf,  emerging  as 
a  moth  in  midsummer,  being  in  turn  able 
to  lay  eggs  for  a  second  brood  of  cater- 
pillars, even  three  or  four  broods  a  year 
being  hatched  in  the  Southern  States. 

The    remedies    are    simple,    consisting   of 


1  § 

6C    ^ 

C 

O.    1- 

o  '-c: 

o    <u 

-a 

3  £ 

e2 

C     1, 

z 

rt  ^ 

< 

*J    *^ 

S 

11 

Ph 

Q 

<    oJ 

c    ^ 

P— 1 

•-     c 

P     c« 

2 

o-o 

ti  -o 

<«   o 

-s^ 

>>  t::; 

rt    O 

s  ^ 

o 

-(-I      4-> 

as 

c 

CJ    j; 

e  c 

o   S 

<=!  !^ 

_rt  .i 

'o,  «-' 

^ 

T?.??' 

INSECTS,    DISEASES,    AND    SPRAYING       65 

mowing  and  drying  of  the  leaves  after  fruit- 
ing, followed  by  burning  for  the  early  brood. 
For  the  late  broods  applications  of  arsenical 
poison  can  be  used,  thus  destroying  many  of 
the  insects. 

Another  leaf  eater  is  the  slug.  This 
insect  appears  in  the  spring  as  a  four-winged 
fly,  depositing  its  eggs  within  the  tissue  of 
the  leaves  or  stem.  Shortly  after  the  eggs 
hatch;  and  the  larva  or  worm  eats  small 
round  holes  through  the  leaves,  until  In 
five  or  six  weeks  it  develops  into  a  pale  green 
worm  nearly  three  fourths  of  an  inch  In 
length.  Just  previous  to  the  rest  stage  it 
enters  beneath  the  surface  of  the  leaf,  form- 
ing a  cocoon  in  which  it  rests,  coming  out 
later  as  a  fly.  In  the  North  one  brood  a  year 
Is  common,  two  or  more  being  usual  for  the 
warmer  climates  of  the  Southern  States. 

Arsenical  poisons,  sprayed  on  the  foliage 
of  the  plants,  will  hold  the  insect  in  check. 
If  the  plants  are  in  fruit,  non-poisonous 
Insect  powders  like  pyrethrum  or  hellebore 
must  be  used.  After  fruiting  burning  the 
bed  over  after  mowing  the  leaves  will  check 
this  Insect. 

Fruit-injuring   insects.  —  A  small,  black 


6>6  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

snout-beetle,  "which  lays  its  eggs  in  the  buds 
of  the  strawberries,  following  this  by  eating 
away  the  part  of  the  stem  below  the  bud, 
causing  it  to  droop,"  known  as  the  strawberry 
weevil  is  one  of  the  most  injurious  insects 
of  the  fruit.  A  little  white  grub,  which 
develops  from  the  ^%%  in  the  bud,  becomes 
fully  developed  in  a  few  weeks.  About  five 
weeks  after  the  egg  is  laid  it  emerges  from 
the  pupal  stage  as  a  perfect  beetle  ready 
to  begin  work  on  other  flowers. 

Clean  culture  is  very  necessary  in  combat- 
ing this  insect,  especially  with  reference  to 
neighbouring  old  strawberry  or  blackberry 
beds.  As  these  latter  are  insect-breeding 
beds  they  should  be  destroyed.  Applications 
of  insecticides  are  not  of  value,  as  the  insect 
feeds  inside  the  bud. 

Covering  the  beds,  if  the  plantation  is 
small,  will  prevent  entrance  of  the  insect. 
The  commercial  grower  must  depend  on 
rotation  of  crops,  clean  culture  and  plough- 
ing or  burning  over  badly  affected  beds. 

Many  times  malformed  fruit  is  found 
which  is  known  as  "buttoning."  This  is 
caused  by  the  check  in  the  growth  of  the 
young  fruit   given   by    the   tarnished   plant 


INSECTS,    DISEASES,   AND    SPRAYING        67 

bug  which  sucks  the  sap  from  the  fruit. 
Eggs  are  laid  early  in  the  spring,  the  young 
hatching  very  soon,  about  the  first  of  May, 
feeding  with  the  parents  on  the  host.  Dur- 
ing July  the  winged  insects  scatter  and  are 
found  on  a  great  variety  of  plants. 

Application  of  pyrethrum  powder  has 
proved  to  be  the  best  remedy  so  far.  Contact 
sprays,  like  kerosene  emulsion,  are  also  useful. 
Poisons  are  useless  as  the  insects  do  not 
chew  their  food,  but  suck  it  out  of  the  plant 
tissues. 

The  red  spider  is  the  bothersome  pest 
in  the  greenhouse.  It  may  be  controlled 
somewhat  by  syringing  the  foliage  every 
pleasant  day  and  by  wetting  down  the  walks, 
making  a  moist  atmosphere  in  the  house. 

Fungous  diseases.  —  The  most  important 
fungous  disease  is  a  leaf  spot.  This  makes  its 
appearance  in  the  form  of  small,  discoloured 
spots,  being  most  abundant  about  the  time  of 
flowering.  At  first  these  spots  are  of  a  reddish 
or  purplish  tint,  a  little  later  increasing  in  size, 
resulting  in  the  death  of  the  tissue  and  a 
change  in  colour  to  white  in  the  centre  bor- 
dered by  red  or  purple  at  the  edges  of  the 
spots.     Practically  all  strawberries  are  sus- 


68  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

ceptible  to  this  disease,  although  some  varie- 
ties, are  more  resistant  than  others,  especially 
Marshall  and  Brandywine,  while  Bederwood 
has  great  susceptibility. 

The  remedy  is  bordeaux  mixture  sprayed 
on  just  before  the  flowers  open,  followed 
(if  the  disease  is  seriously  prevalent)  by 
mowing  off  and  burning  the  leaves  after  the 
fruiting  season  is  over.  On  small  beds  the 
diseased  leaves  may  be  removed  by  hand. 

These  remedial  measures  will  also  control 
the  other  less  important  ones,  which  need 
not  be  discussed  in  detail. 

SPRAYING  MIXTURES 

Commercial  growers  have  become  quite 
familiar  with  the  preparation  of  bordeaux 
mixture,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are 
growing  plants  on  a  smaller  scale  this  account 
of  the  mixing  is  given. 

I  believe  in  being  on  the  safe  side  in  the 
preparation  of  a  spraying  mixture,  believing 
that  a  few  pennies  spent  at  this  time  may  in 
the  end  save  many  dollars.  The  standard 
formula  is: 

4  pounds  Copper  sulphate 
6  pounds  Lime 
SO  gallons  Water. 


INSECTS,    DISEASES,    AND    SPRAYING        69 

To  prepare:  place  the  copper  sulphate  in 
a  bag,  suspended  in  a  barrel  or  other  wooden 
receptacle  holding  four  gallons  of  water. 
In  another  barrel  slake  or  mix  six  pounds 
of  lime  with  six  gallons  of  water.  When 
time  to  spray,  take  the  solution  of  copper 
sulphate  and  pour  into  the  spray  barrel,  add 
forty  gallons  of  clean  water,  then  strain  in 
the  six  gallons  of  the  lime  water  (milk  of  lime 
as  it  is  sometimes  called).  The  extra  lime 
will  counteract  possible  injury  from  excess 
strength  of  the  copper  sulphate.  This  is  a 
fungicide. 

The  addition  to  this  mixture  of  three 
pounds  of  arsenate  of  lead,  for  leaf-eating 
insects,  makes  a  good  all-purpose  spray 
mixture. 

In  the  cases  where  the  fruit  is  set  and 
there  is  danger  from  poisoning  if  any  of  the 
arsenic  forms  are  used,  hellebore  or  pyre- 
thrum  powders,  both  being  non-poisonous, 
may  be  employed.  Apply  these  powders 
early  in  the  morning  with  the  dew  still  on 
the  leaves,  either  using  a  bellows  sprayer  or 
better  still  the  powder  hammer,  which  is 
nothing  more  than  a  large,  cheaply  con- 
structed shaker  attached  to  a  short  handle. 


JO  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

The  powder  being  placed  In  this  shaker, 
the  operator  raises  the  shaker,  dropping  the 
same  as  if  hammering,  catching  it  in  the 
other  hand  at  the  most  convenient  distance 
for  thorough  spraying  of  the  powder  on 
the  leaves. 

Kerosene  emulsion  is  recommended  against 
the  tarnished  plant  bug.  Poison  cannot  be 
used  as  the  insect  belongs  to  the  sucking 
class. 

The  preparation  of  kerosene  emulsion  is: 
take  one  half  pound  of  good  laundry  or  whale- 
oil  soap,  dissolve  in  one  gallon  of  hot  water, 
after  which  add  two  gallons  of  kerosene, 
agitate  violently  until  there  is  an  emulsion- 
like fluid.  To  use,  dilute  one  part  to  fifteen 
parts  water. 

For  the  home  gardener  various  manufac- 
tured spray  mixtures  may  be  much  more 
convenient.  These  are  fully  efficient,  and 
should  be  used  according  to  directions. 

Kerosene  emulsion,  bordeaux  mixture,  and 
all  other  spray  materials  which  are  in  a  liquid 
form  are  best  applied  with  a  force  pump  which 
is  powerful  enough  to  push  the  spray  out  in 
a  very  fine  mist.  For  the  home  garden  or 
small  patches  one  of    the  small  compressed 


INSECTS,    DISEASES,    AND    SPRAYING       J I 

air  sprayers,  costing  about  $6,  complete, 
will  be  very  satisfactory.  They  have  a  sling 
and  are  carried  under  the  arm.  The  capacity 
is  about  two  gallons  of  liquid.  The  knap- 
sack sprayer,  which  is  carried  on  the  back  as 
its  name  Implies,  is  also  quite  a  good  one, 
but  has  not  the  high  pressure  of  the  former. 

For  field  work  the  size  of  sprayer  would 
depend  on  the  acreage  planted,  the  kind  of 
sprayer  would  depend  on  the  man's  likes 
and  dislikes  and  the  amount  of  money  he 
has  to  invest.  For  small  fields  where  the 
grower  is  just  starting  in,  and  wishes  to,  or 
has  to,  practise  economy,  a  barrel  pump, 
mounted  in  a  good  oil  barrel,  with  the 
necessary  hose,  nozzles,  piping,  etc.,  is  a  very 
practical  outfit. 

A  man  with  some  mechanical  ability  can 
arrange  with  gas  pipe  a  four-rowed  sprayer, 
mounting  the  complete  outfit  on  a  two- 
wheeled  rig,  having  the  wheels  so  that  they 
spread  two  rows  of  plants,  the  horse  walking 
in  the  middle  cultivated  strip.  With  a  good 
horse,  one  man  can  pump  and  drive. 

For  larger  fields  some  of  the  much  adver- 
tised spray  rigs  with  all  their  equipment  are 
advisable.     Some    of    these    sprayers    have 


72  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

gasolene  engines  for  pumping  and  spray  five 
or  six  rows  at  a  time.  The  liquid  with 
these  machines  being  under  pressure  of 
?oo  to  150  pounds,  is  forced  out  in  a  very 
light  misty  spray,  covering  all  parts  of  the 
plants  very  completely. 


CHAPTER  VI 
Picking,  Packing,  and  Marketing 

The  strawberry  demands  a  great  deal  of 
care  at  picking  time.  When  the  berries  have 
come  to  their  large  green  stage  and  begin  to 
turn  to  the  pink,  then  scarlet  or  red,  it  is  very 
important  that  careful  attention  be  given,  and 
that  the  picking  begins  at  the  right  time,  sub- 
sequent pickings  being  given  either  every  day 
or  every  other  day,  according  to  the  condition 
of  the  bed,  etc. 

Picking  is  a  quite  simple  process  where 
the  patch  is  a  small  home  one  or  really  part 
of  the  farmer's  garden,  in  which  the  owner 
picks  according  to  the  demands  of  his  house- 
hold, but  where  the  business  is  on  a  com- 
mercial scale  it  is  indeed  a  problem. 

The  grower  must  depend  for  his  pickers 

upon  the  women,  girls,  and  children  in  the 

community,    attracting    them    either    by    a 

slight  increase  of  price  per  box  for  picking, 

73 


74  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

constancy  of  yearly  pickings,  or  by  larger 
yields  of  berries,  making  it  easier  or  quicker 
to  earn  a  good  day's  pay. 

Oftentimes  the  pickers  come  asking  for 
this  line  of  work;  other  times  the  grower 
may  obtain  the  pickers  by  an  advertisement 
in  the  local  paper  or  a  notice  posted  on  the 
farm  bulletin  board,  which  in  many  farms 
is  located  near  the  boundary  road. 

A   FEW   RULES    FOR    PICKING 

The  grower  must  have  a  few  general  rules 
for  picking,  such  as: 

1.  Berries  must  not  be  picked  while  there 
is  moisture  on  the  vines. 

2.  Berries  must  be  pink  all  over  or  three 
fourths  red. 

3.  Berries  should  be  picked  riper  in  cool 
weather  than  in  warm. 

4.  Berries  should  be  picked  riper  for  local 
trade  than  for  shipping. 

5.  Filled  carriers  must  not  be  allowed 
to  stand  in  the  sun. 

6.  Berries  must  be  picked  with  stem  at 
least  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  but  not  longer 
than  one  half  an  inch. 

After  the  pickers  have  been  selected,  it 


PICKING,    PACKING,    AND   MARKETING      75 

is    necessary    to   firmly    fix    in    their   minds 
several  very  important  points. 

These  are  called  the  pickers'  rules: 

1.  That  each  picker  shall  have  a  certain 
space  or  row  allotted  from  which  he  or  she 
is  to  pick  all  berries  of  a  certain  stage  of 
ripeness;  each  picker  being  responsible  for 
this  space  or  row. 

2.  When  removing  the  berries  from  the 
vines,  pick  them  by  pinching  or  breaking  off 
the  stem  from  one  fourth  to  one  half  an  inch 
above  the  berry.  Carefully  place  in  the  box 
each  berry  with  its  hull  and  part  of  stem 
attached. 

3.  Do  not  squash  or  press  the  fruit  with 
the  hands. 

4.  Do  not  walk  or  sit  in  the  plant  row. 

5.  Grade  the  berries  as  they  are  picked. 

6.  Don't  talk  too  much,  run  about  bed, 
or  create  a  disturbance. 

By  careful  enforcement  of  these  rules 
it  is  possible  to  pick  the  fruit  cleanly,  have 
it  graded  at  the  least  expense,  and  obtain 
the  best  possible  fruit  without  having  mashed 
or  soft  berries. 

As  the  pickers  gather  the  berries,  they 
must   place   the   same   in    some   convenient 


76  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

receptacle,  the  split-wood  strawberry  box, 
holding  about  a  quart,  being  the  most  com- 
monly used.  Each  picker  should  have  four 
or  six  of  these  boxes,  and  for  convenience 
in  carrying  them  should  have  a  picking 
stand.  This  stand  can  be  home-made,  con- 
sisting of  a  tray  of  sufficient  size  to  hold 
the  number  of  boxes  required,  mounted  on 
four  short  legs,  holding  the  tray  off  the 
ground,  to  prevent  injury  to  the  fruit  or  the 
plants  and  doing  away  with  spilling  of  the 
boxes  gathered. 

A  handle  of  either  part  of  a  barrel  hoop, 
or  heavy  wire,  firmly  attached  to  the  sides 
of  the  tray  for  convenience  in  carrying,  is 
also  valuable.  With  one  of  these  trays  and 
six  boxes,  the  pickers  can  grade  the  berries 
into  three  or  more  classes : 

First  grade:  extra  large  selected  berries; 
Second  grade:  medium  size  berries;  Third 
grade:  culls.  If  the  pickers  are  careful  in 
this  matter  of  grading  and  picking  with 
hulls  attached  to  berries,  the  boxes  can  be 
placed  from  the  pickers'  trays  into  the  crates 
for  shipment. 

As  each  picker  brings  in  his  full  boxes 
of  strawberries,  it  is  highly  important  that 


PICKING,    PACKING,   AND   MARKETING     "]"] 

some  form  of  bookkeeping  should  be  carried 
out  so  that  each  worker  will  receive  full 
credit  for  the  number  of  boxes  picked.  The 
system  of  a  tallyman,  who  has  each  picker's 
name,  and  marks  against  these  names  the 
number  of  boxes  picked,  has  not  proved 
satisfactory,  because  of  the  lack  of  confidence 
in  the  tallyman  by  the  pickers. 

The  method  of  giving  checks  which  have 
numbers  from  one  to  ten  on  them,  denoting 
the  number  of  boxes  received,  has  proved 
quite  satisfactory.  These  checks  can  be 
again  exchanged  for  checks  of  higher  denom- 
ination as  20,  30,  40,  50,  etc.  The  great 
advantage  of  this  method  Is  that  each  one 
of  the  pickers  keeps  his  own  books  and  Is  paid 
according  to  the  amount  of  checks  turned 
in  on  the  day  of  settling  accounts.  Pickers, 
however,  are  liable  to  lose  the  checks  which 
causes  some  misunderstanding  at  times. 

Tags  which  have  numbers  from  i  to  50 
printed  on  them,  which  are  punched  as  the 
picker  turns  in  the  full  boxes,  are  found  to 
be  the  best  system  to  date. 

Pickers  are  generally  paid  by  the  box,  and 
the  more  experienced  the  worker,  the  larger 
the  income.     Some   sections   pay  one  cent 


78  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

a  box  for  picking  strawberries,  other  places 
pay  two  cents,  and  in  a  great  many  districts 
one  and  one  half  cents  is  paid.  From  care- 
fully worked  out  figures  the  latter  amount 
is  the  average  price  for  picking  in  the  many 
strawberry  sections.  Pay  day  comes  at 
the  end  of  the  season  as  a  rule,  as  the  pickers 
are  retained  better  by  paying  but  once;  or, 
if  paid  weekly,  one  quarter  to  one  half  the 
pay  is  retained. 

The  average  picker,  in  my  experience,  will 
pick  from  thirty  to  forty  quarts  in  the  morn- 
ing— that  is,  from  9  to  12  o'clock.  One 
report  from  New  Hampshire  states  that  a 
young  woman  of  sixteen  picked  one  hundred 
quarts  in  six  hours. 

PACKING 

As  the  full  boxes  are  brought  from  the  field, 
they  are  given  to  the  packers.  The  packers 
should  not  be  in  the  full  sunlight,  but  in 
the  shade  of  a  tree,  under  a  tent  or  tem- 
porary building,  or  in  a  permanent  build- 
ing. The  strawberries  when  received  should 
be  placed  in  a  cool  room  where  the  tem- 
perature can  be  held  at  50  degrees,  or,  in 
case   this    is    not   possible,    they   should    be 


PICKING,    PACKING,   AND   MARKETING      79 

placed  in  the  shade  and  In  the  coolest  spot 
available.  The  packers  then  take  the  boxes 
as  they  need  them,  emptying  the  fruit  on 
small  trays  or  tables  three  feet  wide  and 
four  to  six  feet  long. 

All  imperfect  and  defective  specimens  are 
then  removed,  the  remainder  being  sorted 
as  to  size  and  sometimes  colour,  placing 
them  In  the  boxes,  the  top  layer  of  fruits 
being  arranged  evenly,  hulls  all  one  way 
down,  making  the  full  boxes  very  attractive. 
These  layers  may  be  arranged  in  tiers 
4  X  4,  4  X  5,  and  5x5,  according  to  size. 

The  full,  well-packed  boxes  are  then  placed 
in  crates.  The  thirty- two-box  crate  has 
eight  boxes  on  the  bottom  layer,  then  a  slat 
form  on  top.  This  protects  the  layer  and 
serves  as  a  foundation  for  the  next  layer. 
Four  layers  of  eight  boxes  each  constitute 
the  standard  crate,  except  In  the  case  of  the 
refrigerator  crate.  One  good  packer  will  sort 
and  pack  from  fifteen  to  twenty  crates  a  day 
at  a  cost  of  from  1 5  cents  to  25  cents  per  crate. 

RULES    FOR    PACKING 

I.  No  culls  in  the  boxes.  Put  nothing 
but  fair-sized  fruit,  none  under  five  tier. 


8o  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

2.  After  filling  box  about  half  full  place 
the  rest  stems  down,  in  order  that  the  top 
layer  may  be  placed  evenly  and  level,  stems 
down. 

3.  Fill  boxes  solid,  especially  at  corners, 
or  they  will  be  short  weight,  settle,  spoil 
your  pack  and  bring  less  money. 

4.  Fill  box  so  that  top  of  layer  will  come 
three  eighths  of  an  inch  above  the  top  of  box. 

5.  Allow  no  berries  to  project  over  side  of 
box,  if  they  do  berries  will  be  crushed,  the 
pack  spoiled  and  the  box  stained. 

6.  Packers  to  sort  out  all  green,  overripe, 
misshapen  and  under  five  tier  berries. 

7.  Use  clean  crates  and  keep  them  from 
being  soiled. 

8.  After  crates  are  packed,  place  them  in  a 
cool  place. 

SHIPPING 

In  the  case  of  fruits  to  be  shipped  long 
distances,  it  is  advisable  to  cool  the  boxes 
of  berries  for  one  half  to  three  quarters  of 
an  hour  before  they  are  placed  in  the  refriger- 
ator cars.  This  cooling  and  subsequent  plac- 
ing these  crates  in  refrigerator  cars  hardens 
off"  the  fruit,   preventing  to  a  considerable 


^  00 

Is 

6  o 


THE  TIME  TO  MULCH 

This  is  done  to  conserve  moisture  and  to  keep  the  berries  clean, 
grass  clippings,  or  pine  needles  are  often  used 


Salt  hay. 


8i 

extent  the  ripening  of  the  berries  while 
in  transit,  delivering  the  fruit  at  the  mar- 
ket in  much  better  condition  than  if  not 
cooled. 

The  grower  is  enabled  by  this  process  to 
bring  his  fruit  to  a  riper  condition  before 
shipping.  Care  must,  however,  be  exercised 
not  to  overdo  the  cooling  nor  to  hold  the 
fruit  in  cold  storage  too  long,  as  it  is  not 
possible  to  do  so  profitably.  This  method 
is  expensive  and  demands  a  higher  price 
for  the  product,  the  demand  though  is  quite 
brisk  in  the  larger  markets  for  the  early 
berries  at  good  prices. 

Local  or  nearby  markets  do  not  demand 
the  former  expensive  method.  Cool  the 
berries  before  taking  them  to  the  market  or 
depot,  carry  the  crates  in  a  spring  wagon, 
with  a  canvas  or  some  other  cover  over  the 
berries  to  keep  out  the  dust.  Leave  the 
crates  in  a  cool,  shady  place,  having  them 
at  the  depot  but  a  short  time  before  the  train 
is  due.  Notify  the  person  you  ship  to,  be  he 
commission  man,  grocer,  or  individual,  of  the 
shipment,  number  of  crates  or  boxes,  time 
of  shipment  and  other  matters. 

Having  the  grower's  name  on  the  crate, 


82  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

or  better  still  on  every  box,  with  the  farm's 
name  and  address,  supplementing  an  even 
supply  of  good  berries,  well  packed,  honest  all 
through,  and  sending  the  same  to  individuals 
or  reliable  commission  houses,  will  result  in 
the  building  up  of  a  lasting,  paying  trade  for 
the  grower. 

INCIDENTALS  NEEDED  FOR  PICKING,  PACKING, 
AND  MARKETING 

The  grower  needs  the  following  articles 
for  the  successful  handling  of  his  crop  of 
fruit. 

I.  Split- wood,  one-quart  baskets,  such  as 
the  Berlin,  Hallock,  Leslie,  etc.  The  Berlin 
is  the  most  common,  being  a  white  box, 
made  from  basswood,  which  adds  to  the 
attractiveness  of  the  fruit.  This  box  is 
5  inches  square  on  top  and  4J  inches 
square  on  bottom,  being  from  2f  to  3 
inches  deep,  and  holding  about  6y^  cubic 
inches. 

The  Hallock  (Michigan)  box  Is  made  In 
two  sizes.  No.  i  or  wine  measure,  Is  4I  inches 
square,  3  inches  deep  and  3I  inches  high 
outside,  and  contains  6of  cubic  inches.  No. 
2,  or  full  quart,  is  4!  inches  square  and  the 


PICKING,    PACKING,   AND   MARKETING      83 

same  depth  as  No.  i,  and  contains  67I 
cubic  inches. 

The  Hallock  (Illinois)  box  is  5  inches 
square  and  2|  inches  deep,  containing  62^ 
cubic  inches. 

The  Leslie,  standard  box  of  the  South, 
generally  sold  in  the  flat  is  made  up  by 
wrapping  the  band  around  the  bottom, 
inserting  the  corners  of  bottom  in  punch 
holes  of  band  and  driving  the  tacks  or  staples 
through  the  lap  of  the  band. 

The  "wine  measure"  box  has  a  band 
3  J  inches  wide  and  20J  inches  long,  and 
the  bottom  is  3J  inches  in  width  and 
6|  inches  long.  The  band  for  the  "dry 
measure''  is  2if  inches  long  and  3I 
inches  wide  and  the  bottom  is  ^i  ^  7i 
inches,  the  box  being  2f  inches  deep 
inside,  and  holds  a  full  quart,  67I  cubic 
inches. 

The  cost  of  those  boxes  per  thousand  is: 
Berlin,  ^3.50;  Michigan  Hallock,  $3  in  the 
flat;  Illinois  Hallock,  ^3  in  the  flat;  Leslie, 
$3  in  the  flat. 

There  is  a  law  in  some  states  as  to  the 
size  of  boxes  for  strawberries.  It  would 
be  well  for  the  strawberry  grower  to  look 


84  MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

Up  this  matter,  especially  in  the  state  to 
which  he  intends  to  ship  fruit. 

2.  Crates  are  necessary  so  that  these 
boxes  may  be  sent  to  market  in  a  sealed 
receptacle. 

For  the  Berlin  boxes  a  crate  holding 
thirty-two  or  twenty-four  quarts  is  used. 
The  gift  crate  made  of  light  slats  with 
heavier  bottoms  and  tops  and  having  three 
racks  to  place  between  layers  of  boxes  is  very 
economical  and  desirable.  The  thirty-two- 
quart  size  costs  ^8  for  fifty  and  the  twenty- 
four-quart  size  costs  ^7.50  for  fifty.  For 
those  growers  who  peddle  their  fruit  or  sell 
it  so  that  the  crates  are  returned,  a  more 
durable  crate,  Iron  bound,  costing  thirty- 
two-quart  size,  fifty  for  ^23.15,  and  twenty- 
four-quart  size,  fifty  for  ^19.90  is  recom- 
mended. 

For  the  Michigan  Hallock  boxes,  a  sixteen- 
quart  and  twenty-four-quart  size  Is  made, 
the  smaller  size  weighing  about  three  pounds 
and  the  larger  five  pounds.  This  Is  quite 
light  for  the  strength  of  the  crate.  One 
hundred  of  the  sixteen-quart  size  cost  ^6.50; 
one  hundred  of  the  twenty-four-quart  size 
cost  $8. 


PICKING,    PACKING,   AND   MARKETING      85 

This  is  exceedingly  inexpensive  for  ship- 
ping crates  and  can  be  used  as  gifts  without 
overburdening  the  grower  with  excessive 
expenses  for  marketing. 

The  Leslie  crates  are  also  very  inexpensive, 
costing  but  $J  for  one  hundred  of  the  twenty- 
four-quart  in  the  flat.  For  the  full  quart 
boxes  the  crates  have  three  heads  j\  x  14I, 
two  pieces  for  covers  7^  x  23 1,  two  pieces  for 
sides  6J  x  23^,  and  three  pieces  for  bottoms 
4  X  23I  inches,  weighing  about  six  pounds. 
The  wine  measure  differs  somewhat  in  size, 
owing  to  their  being  small  boxes,  but  they 
are  made  up  the  same  way. 

Refrigerator  crates  for  distant  shipping 
are  sometimes  used;  these  are  heavy  crates 
which  give  an  opportunity  for  cooling  or 
chilling  the  fruit,  generally  by  placing  ice 
in  the  bottom  of  the  crate  and  closing  it 
somewhat  tightly. 

3.  Picking  stands,  one  for  each  picker, 
either  home-made  or  purchased,  are  very 
convenient  for  the  quick  picking  and  carry- 
ing of  the  fruit  in  more  than  one  basket. 
They  are  made  to  carry  either  four,  six  or 
eight  quart  baskets  and  are  equipped  with 
a   handle.     Legs   on   them   are   also  useful. 


86  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Four-basket  size,  twelve  for  60  cents;  six- 
basket  size,  twelve  for  75  cents;  eight-basket 
size  twelve  for  75  cents. 

4.  Checks,  tags,  or  some  good  system  of 
tallying  boxes  picked  by  the  pickers  is 
essential. 

Tags  should  have  blank  space  for  writing 
in  the  grower's  name,  picker's  name,  date 
issued,  and  price  per  quart.  When  the 
picker  brings  the  berries  into  the  packing 
house  or  shed,  the  grower  or  tallyman 
simply  punches  out  the  printed  figure  cor- 
responding with  the  number  of  quarts  de- 
livered. Five  hundred  printed  on  No.  6 
shipping  tags  cost  ^2.25;  one  punch  costs 
40  cents. 

5.  Tent,  shed,  or  packing  house,  contain- 
ing a  sorting  table  and  room  for  pre-cooling 
the  fruit.  This  packing  place  need  not  be 
expensive,  but  can  consist  of  a  simple  shelter, 
which  will  hold  off  the  sun's  rays  and  permit 
of  the  cooling  of  the  fruit.  The  sorting  table 
can  be  home-made;  two  wooden  horses  and 
some  boards,  smooth  side  up,  make  a  prac- 
tical table. 

6.  A  spring  wagon  to  transport  the  fruit 
from    the    packing    shed    to   the    station    is 


PICKING,    PACKING,   AND   MARKETING      87 

important,  as  it  does  not  cause  the  fruit  to 
be  joggled  and  thereby  crushed.  For  a 
small  number  of  crates,  a  good  farm  democrat 
is  a  good  wagon  (cost  ^60  to  $125);  for  larger 
loads  anything  from  a  one-horse  express 
wagon  up  to  the  very  expensive  market  gar- 
deners'  wagons  can  be  used. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Mulching,  Renovating  the  Old  Bed 

In  gardening  parlance  "to  mulch"  means 
to  cover  the  surface  of  the  soil  with  any 
material,  such  as  leaves,  loose  earth,  hay 
or  straw,  so  as  to  protect  the  roots  of  the 
plants  from  frost,  loss  of  water  by  evapora- 
tion or  weed  growth,  etc.  As  used  in  the 
sense  of  mulching  strawberries,  it  will  mean 
the  covering  of  the  plants  with  organic  matter, 
such  as  dead  vines,  hay,  straw,  leaves,  etc.,  in 
the  fall  for  winter  and  early  spring  protection. 

material  used  for  mulching 

There  is  a  great  variety  of  materials 
used  for  mulching.  Nature's  mulch  is  the 
debris  of  fallen  leaves,  grass,  and  other  litter. 
In  the  grain-growing  sections,  wheat,  barley, 
or  oat  straw  is  used  quite  extensively;  near 
marsh  land,  either  salt  or  fresh,  the  coarse 
hay  taken  from  these  places  is  used. 
88 


RENOVATING   THE    OLD    BED  89 

In  the  East  oat  or  rye  straw  is  generally  the 
material.  Many  places  have  quantities  of 
pine  needles,  seaweed,  leaves,  evergreen 
boughs  —  all  these  are  good.  Near  large 
cities,  where  stable  manure  is  obtained  for 
the  hauling  or  at  a  low  cost,  it  also  is  used 
for  mulching.  The  list  is  so  long  that  it 
would  be  nearly  impossible  to  enumerate  all 
the  materials  that  could  be  used.  Enough 
to  say  that  all  straws  or  other  litter  should  not 
contain  large  amounts  of  weed  seed,  that  the 
materials  should  be  raised  or  purchased  at  a 
low  price,  and  that  the  materials  should  be 
fit  to  protect  the  plants  without  smothering 
them. 

OBJECTS   OF   MULCHING 

By  a  careful  study  of  the  results  of  mulch- 
ing the  following  objects  are  brought  forth 
as  the  reasons  why  one  should  mulch: 

I.  Protection  of  plants  from  winter  or 
early  spring  injury.  The  excessive  cold  on 
bare  ground  often  results  in  the  destruction 
of  the  plants.  Heaving  of  the  plants  in  the 
early  spring  by  honeycomb  frost  is  one  of 
the  greatest  sources  of  unthrifty,  profitless 
strawberry  beds.  These  can  both  be  over- 
come by  mulching  with  the  proper  materials. 


90  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

2.  Conservation  of  moisture  in  the  soil  by 
hindering  evaporation.  From  a  study  of 
soil  cultivation  it  is  found  that  by  breaking 
up  the  top  layer  and  leaving  it  in  a  fairly 
loose  condition  it  is  possible  to  reduce  to  a 
minimum  the  loss  of  moisture  by  evaporation. 
This  is  nothing  more  than  a  dirt  mulch  and 
stops  capillarity,  the  rise  of  water  in  the  soil 
just  below  the  loosened  surface.  Any  ma- 
terial such  as  has  been  mentioned  will  give 
the  same  results  as  the  dirt  mulch,  and  has 
the  further  advantage  of  being  more  per- 
manent, not  being  destroyed,  as  is  the  dirt 
mulch,  by  the  first  rain. 

3.  Retaining  the  surface  soil  in  a  loose, 
friable  condition.  This  is  brought  about  by 
the  fact  that  the  soil  is  not  packed  down  by 
being  tramped  upon  or  by  heavy  rains  beat- 
ing upon  it,  but  is  retained  in  the  same  con- 
dition as  it  was  just  previous  to  being  covered 
with  the  mulch  material. 

4.  In  some  cases  plant  food  is  added  to 
the  soil.  This  is  particularly  so  when  ma- 
nure is  used  as  a  mulch,  principally  by  the 
washing  of  the  plant  foods  out  of  the  manure 
into  the  soil. 

5.  Cooler   soil,   the   direct   results   of   the 


RENOVATING   THE    OLD    BED  9I 

shading  of  the  soil  and  the  liberal  supply  of 
moisture  in  the  topsoil,  making  root  growth; 
in  colder  regions  retarding  growth  until  all 
danger  from  frost  is  past. 

6.  Lessens  weed  growth  by  smothering 
the  young  seedlings. 

7.  Where  some  of  the  mulch  is  left  on  the 
bed  after  plant  growth  starts  in  the  spring, 
it  holds  the  fruit  up  from  the  soil,  thereby 
enabling  the  grower  to  obtain  cleaner  fruit. 

HOW  TO   APPLY  THE   MULCH 

The  easiest  and  quickest  way  to  apply 
stable  manure,  fine  chaff,  or  any  other  fine 
material  on  matted  rows  of  strawberries, 
after  the  ground  is  fairly  firmed  by  freezing 
in  the  fall,  is  with  a  manure  spreader  which 
straddles  the  rows.  Set  the  spreader  to  throw 
fifteen  tons  to  the  acre;  the  plants  will  be 
covered  just  deep  enough  and  very  evenly. 

All  coarse  straw,  vines,  etc.,  will  require 
hand  labour.  Stacks  of  these  materials 
should  be  made,  or  loads  should  be  dumped 
at  convenient  distances  along  the  sides  or 
ends  of  the  strawberry  bed;  then  men  with 
forks  can  spread  the  material  over  the  plants, 
being  careful  not  to  cover  them  too  deeply 


92  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

nor  to  injure  the  plants  by  careless  walking 
or  forking. 

WHEN   ARE   MATERIALS   APPLIED? 

Where  freezing  of  the  soil  is  light  and 
thawing  often  follows,  it  is  advisable  to  apply 
the  mulch  just  as  soon  as  the  active  growth 
of  the  plant  ceases,  either  in  the  last  of 
October  or  the  month  of  November.  Pro- 
tection in  this  case  would  not  only  be  against 
the  many  freezes  and  thaws  but  against  the 
high  dry  winds  of  winter,  which  often  do 
great  damage  to  plants  by  drying  them  out  or 
by  exposing  the  roots  to  later  sun  action  by 
removing  or  blowing  away  the  soil. 

In  the  colder  parts  of  the  country,  where  the 
freezing  is  more  permanent,  it  is  best  to  wait 
until  the  ground  is  frozen  hard  enough  to 
allow  the  wagon  or  cart  to  be  driven  upon  it 
without  breaking  into  the  soil.  At  the  ex- 
treme North,where  snow  comes  early  and  stays 
until  late  spring,  it  would  be  hardly  advisable 
to  mulch  very  heavily  as  the  plants  would 
smother  with  the  combined  mulch  and  snow. 

WHEN    IS   THE    MULCH    REMOVED? 

Where  heavy  mulching  has  been  practised 
it  is  best  to  remove  the  coarse,  bulky  part 


RENOVATING    THE    OLD    BED  93 

quite  early  In  the  spring;  otherwise  the  straw- 
berries will  have  a  whitish  tender  growth 
which  will  be  injured  when  exposed  to  the 
sun.  Where  light  mulching  is  carried  on,  and 
the  plants  are  pushing  their  growth  through, 
it  is  best  to  remove  only  patches  of  mulch 
that  are  too  thick  for  rapid  plant  develop- 
ment. 

Some  growers  remove  the  mulch  just  as 
early  as  they  can,  and  practise  thorough  cul- 
tivation up  to  the  time  that  the  fruits  are  half 
grown,  believing  that  they  are  thus  able  to 
obtain  large  yields  of  better  quality  fruit. 
If  the  mulch  seems  to  be  needed  they  re- 
place it  in  order  that  the  fruit  may  be  held 
up  from  the  soil. 

The  chief  drawback  to  this  method  is  the 
greater  chance  of  the  fruit  being  gritty  by 
being  spattered  with  the  loose  soil  if  rain 
should  fall  during  the  last  stages  of  fruiting. 

RENEWING    OLD    BEDS 

The  lack  of  sufficient  knowledge  on  the 
subject  of  renewing  old  strawberry  beds  has 
caused  many  growers  to  go  out  of  the  business 
in  despair  and  pronounce  this  industry  an 
unprofitable    one.     This    question    of    just 


94  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

how  often  a  strawberry  plantation  should  be 
renewed  is  one  of  the  most  disputed,  dif- 
ferent growers  advancing  contrary  ideas  with 
equal  evidence  in  each  case. 

In  the  majority  of  cases  of  failure  the  people 
have  not  learned  that  the  strawberry  is  not 
a  plant  that  can  bear  a  profitable  crop  in- 
definitely, but  must  be  renewed,  unlike  other 
fruits  such  as  the  apple,  pear,  etc.,  which 
bear  crops  for  long  periods. 

Two,  or  in  some  cases  even  three,  profit- 
able crops  of  fruit  may  be  harvested  before 
it  is  advisable  to  plough  under  the  old  bed. 
The  advisability  of  removing  more  than  one 
crop  depends  largely  on  the  condition  of  the 
patch.  If  there  are  not  too  many  weeds 
in  the  strawberry  bed  and  the  plants  are 
numerous,  showing  considerable  vigour  and 
healthy  foliage,  it  may  be  left  for  a  second  or 
even  a  third  crop. 

The  older  beds  are  more  liable  to  serious 
attacks  of  insects  and  diseases  which  slightly 
increases  the  expense  of  management  because 
more  frequent  applications  of  spraying  ma- 
terials are  necessary. 

Another  point  in  the  holding  over  of  the 
beds,  and  not  in  their  favour,  is  the  decrease 


RENOVATING   THE    OLD    BED  95 

in  size  of  the  fruit;  but  this  is  practically 
made  up  for  in  the  early  ripening  of  the  fruit, 
enabling  the  grower  to  ship  his  berries  earlier 
to  market  and  thereby  obtain  some  of  the 
higher  prices. 

If  a  bed  is  to  be  carried  over  for  two  or 
three  years,  it  will  be  found  that  the  in- 
creased cost  of  weeding  or  cleaning  out  the 
old  bed  is  greater  than  that  of  setting  out 
and  caring  for  a  new  one. 

There  are  at  least  three  methods  by  which 
a  strawberry  bed  may  be  renewed  with  very 
satisfactory  results.  All  of  these  methods 
rquire,  however,  a  bed  filled  with  numerous 
thrifty  and  vigorous  plants. 

The  first  method,  used  after  the  plants 
have  fruited,  consists  of  ploughing  one  fur- 
row from  each  side  of  the  matted  row,  leav- 
ing a  strip  in  the  middle  not  more  than  a  foot 
wide,  which  has  a  fair  number  of  good  plants 
growing  in  it.  Following  this,  well  decom- 
posed manure  is  spread  liberally  on  the  hill, 
or  back  furrow,  which  the  ploughing  has  made 
between  the  plant  rows.  At  least  15  tons  to 
the  acre  should  be  applied,  and  more  if  it 
is  available.  The  shovel-tooth  cultivator, 
either  five  or  seven  teeth,  should  then  be 


96  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

used  in  this  ploughed  strip.  This  will  mix 
the  soil  and  manure  and  should  level  off  the 
freshly  ploughed  strip  between  the  rows.  At 
this  time,  or  just  before  cultivating,  it  is  a 
good  practice  to  go  through  the  patch  with  a 
hoe  and  cut  out  the  old  plants.  If  it  is  not 
possible  to  tell  the  difference  between  old 
and  young  plants,  the  rows  of  plants  can  be 
cut  so  that  six  or  eight  inches  of  soil  with 
three  or  four  plants  growing  in  it  are  left  in 
the  row,  then  a  cleared  strip  of  six  or  eight 
inches,  then  another  collection  of  three  or 
four  plants,  and  so  on. 

If  the  soil  throughout  the  bed  is  made 
level,  the  remaining  plants  will  soon  send  out 
runners  and  at  the  joints  new  plants  will  form. 
Very  soon  an  entirely  new  bed  will  be  ob- 
tained, and  where  cultivation  and  care  are 
given  the  results  will  be  quite  satisfactory. 

The  second  method  which  is  started  at  the 
same  time  as  the  first  —  that  is,  after  fruiting 
—  consists  of  ploughing  only  on  one  side  of 
the  matted  row.  Generally  two  furrows  are 
necessary,  but  in  very  wide  rows  three  or 
four  may  have  to  be  given. 

By  this  method  the  original  plants,  some- 
times called  the  mother  plants,  are  ploughed 


RENOVATING   THE    OLD    BED  97 

under  and  the  remaining  plants  are  all 
young  plants.  These  young  plants  are  left  in 
a  long  row  or  strip  which  should  not  be  over 
one  foot  in  width,  nine  inches  being  better. 
A  heavy  coating  of  manure  as  used  in  the 
first  method  is  applied  and  worked  in  with 
the  cultivator,  leaving  the  bed  level.  None 
of  the  plants  in  the  row  are  cut  out,  but  are 
allowed  to  produce  new  plants  as  desired  by 
the  grower. 

It  is  seen  by  this  second  method  that  the 
major  part  of  the  new  plants  will  have  new 
soil  to  grow  in,  as  the  centre  of  the  matted 
rows  will  be  changed  at  least  one  foot  in  one 
or  the  other  direction. 

The  third  method  is  that  of  pot-growing 
the  plants,  replanting  in  the  fall  from  these 
pot-grown  plants  and  ploughing  under  the  old 
bed.     This  may  be  done  by  two  systems: 

First:  Quite  early  in  the  spring  the  very 
best,  extra  choice,  large  plants  are  selected 
for  planting.  These  are  set  in  soil  that  is 
as  near  as  possible  the  ideal  for  the  most 
successful  strawberry  production.  Each 
plant  is  allowed  to  make  not  more  than  four 
runners;  two  are  better.  Only  one  plant  ia 
allowed  on  each  runner. 


98  MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Second :  Plants  are  selected  in  the  old  bed, 
generally  those  that  have  marked  ability  as 
to  productiveness  and  heathfulness.  This 
system  is  quite  similar  to  the  first  method, 
but  saves  time  and  labour  as  the  plants  are 
not  transplanted.  The  same  afterwork  for 
both  systems  follows: 

Underneath  the  joint  of  the  runner, 
where  the  new  plant  will  be  formed,  three  or 
four  inch  pots,  filled  with  good  soil,  are  buried 
to  the  rim  and  a  little  soil  is  placed  on  the 
runner,  both  to  keep  it  in  place  and  to  help 
start  the  new  plant.  After  the  leaves  have 
formed  and  the  roots  have  developed  so  that 
the  plant  may  be  independent  of  the  parent, 
the  runner  is  severed  and  the  pot  is  either 
taken  to  a  coldframe  or  it  is  placed  where 
good  care,  and  especially  water,  can  be 
given.  Sometimes  it  is  either  planted  in  the 
fall  or  directly  in  the  bed  after  the  old  bed  is 
turned  under,  where  it  is  allowed  to  produce 
fruit  the  next  spring.  Other  times  it  is  carried 
along  in  the  pot  for  winter  forcing  in  the 
greenhouse  as  is  later  described. 

For  methods  one  and  two, provided  manure 
is  not  available,  800  to  1,000  pounds  of  any 
of  the  complete  artificial  fertilizers  can  be 


RENOVATING    THE    OLD    BED  99 

broadcasted  and  cultivated  in,  followed  by 
such  light  applications  of  fertilizer  as,  in  the 
estimation  of  the  grower,  may  be  needed. 

There  is  one  practice  that  should  be  car- 
ried out,  especially  on  mulched  beds  that 
are  about  to  be  renewed,  and  that  is  the  use 
of  the  mowing  machine  just  after  fruiting. 
Run  the  machine  with  the  bar  set  high  so  that 
it  will  cut  the  old  leaves  but  not  injure  the 
crowns.  Allow  the  leaves  to  dry  for  a  day 
or  two,  then  start  a  fire  at  the  windward 
side  and  burn  the  bed.  If  the  fire  burns 
down  the  length  of  the  row,  it  will  be  better 
than  if  it  burned  across  the  rows. 

Be  careful  that  there  are  no  large  masses 
of  mulch  on  the  bed,  especially  over  the 
plants.  Sometimes  it  is  advisable  to  rake 
the  rows  and  burn  the  raked  material  in  the 
cultivated   strips. 

The  advantages  of  burning  are: 

1.  That  the  bed  is  left  clean. 

2.  That  insects  or  diseases  are  killed  or 
controlled. 

3.  That  the  bed,  being  clean,  is  easier  to 
work. 

After  one  or  the  other  of  these  methods  is 
used,  the  bed  is  treated  just  the  same  as  if  it 


lOO        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

were  a  newly  set  patch.  In  fact,  the  whole 
idea  in  this  renewing  is  nothing  more  than 
the  saving  of  the  cost  of  setting  a  new  bed  or 
saving  the  hand  work  where  good  labour  is 
scarce. 

Generally,  a  grower  will  practise  rotation 
of  crops,  taking  but  one  crop  from  his  bed 
and  setting  out  another  on  an  entirely  new 
piece  of  land;  believing  that  what  little  saving 
there  may  be  in  renewing  the  old  bed  will  be 
greatly  counterbalanced  by  the  larger  size 
of  fruit,  freedom  from  insects  and  diseases, 
and  better  physical  and  chemical  conditions 
of  his  soil. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
Winter  Forcing 

Thus  far  In  the  United  States  the  forcing 
of  strawberries  for  a  winter  crop  has  not  be- 
come commercially  of  any  great  importance. 
But  it  is  possible  to  obtain  an  extra  or  fancy 
price  for  ripe  strawberries  in  midwinter  or 
even  a  month  or  two  before  the  influx  of  the 
out-of-door  fruit. 

This  trade  earns  a  price  that  is  even  in 
advance  of  that  received  for  the  fresh  fruits 
shipped  from  the  South,  and  competing  in 
the  same  market  with  them.  On  many  of 
the  large  estates,  or  even  small  places,  where 
suitable  arrangements  are  made  for  growing 
the  plants  in  greenhouses,  strawberries  are 
produced  more  for  the  benefit  of  the  owners 
in  having  an  out-of-season  product  than  for 
their  mere  money  value. 

Strawberries  can  be  forced  to  fruiting 
without  much  difficulty,  provided  a  person 


I02        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

has  a  good  greenhouse  or  some  glass  or  semi- 
glass  structure  in  which  a  certain  tempera- 
ture can  be  maintained.  The  old  idea  that  the 
plants  must  be  placed  near  the  glass  or  they 
will  be  drawn  out  —  that  is,  become  slen- 
der —  is  not  so  true  to-day  with  our  modern 
large  pane,  non-light  obstructing  construc- 
tions, giving  to  the  house  the  greatest  amount 
of  light  possible.  However,  with  a  heavy 
sash  bar  or  sash  house  having  small  panes 
of  glass,  the  roof  should  be  low  and  the 
plants  near  the  glass. 

The  best  variety  for  forcing  is  the  Mar- 
shall. It  seems  that  this  berry  is  particu- 
larly adapted  to  the  most  intensive  forms 
of  strawberry  growing,  and  especially  as  an 
out-of-season  production  in  the  greenhouse. 

The  two  methods  of  growing  the  plants 
are  on  benches  and  in  pots. 

The  former  method  is  used  but  little, 
while  the  latter  is  employed  for  the  follow- 
ing reasons: 

1.  The  roots  are  enclosed  In  each  pot. 

2.  It  Is  possible  to  control  plant  food,  such 
as  liquid  manure  or  fertilizer. 

3.  By  controlling  the  food,  each  demand  of 
the  plant  can  be  catered  to. 


"*^^S 

^V  JIHi^^feift^^Hl^V  ^Hu      w^S^rifll^^^^l 

^f  Al! 

fWl 

iAjnU^H 

^^ 

^^ 

*%fe^i 

^LaKsHp 

•f^Fi  oi 

^^^^r     ^J^^SSf^^ 

<^^H 

jj^HD^pK  s'^m'-,-^ 

BB^K  31^'     ^^ '  '  Tl'ftif          ^^k. 

g  D.  c 

Z  ^-5 

U  °    ex 

p  ^^ 


-o  a. 
E.S 


WINTER    FORCING  IO3 

4.  The  plants,  being  under  the  control  of 
the  grower,  can  be  ripened  off  better  in  the 
fall. 

5.  Pots  require  only  a  small  space,  so  that 
few  or  many  may  be  in  houses  of  differ- 
ent temperatures,  or  the  pots  may  contain 
plants  in  several  stages  of  producing  fruits. 

6.  The  convenience  of  pots  —  light,  easy  to 
handle,  very  little  storage  place  needed,  etc. 

The  principal  drawback  to  pot  culture  is 
the  first  expense,  the  purchasing  of  pots;  but 
with  reasonable  care  they  will  last  several 
years.  Then  the  expense  of  bench  and  pot 
culture  should  be  about  the  same. 

After  the  potted  plant  has  been  removed 
from  the  field  it  is  taken  to  the  potting  shed 
to  be  shifted  to  a  larger  sized  pot,  usually  a 
six-inch  one,  sometimes  called  a  fruiting 
pot.  The  soil  used  at  this  time  can  be 
either  the  same  as  that  of  the  bed,  or  may 
be  three  parts  sod  compost  to  one  part 
sharp  sand,  with  about  one  pint  of  very  fine 
ground  bone  to  every  bushel  of  soil.  Of 
course  potsherds  or  some  material  for  drain- 
age should  be  placed  in  the  bottom  of  each 
pot  to  allow  for  ample  drainage.  This  is 
doubly   necessary   because    large    quantities 


104        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

of  water  are  to  be  used  in  the  forcing  and 
fruiting  period,  and  it  is  important  that  the 
strawberry  plants  do  not  have  too  much 
moisture  around  the  roots. 

Many  growers  advise  the  plunging  of 
these  pots,  almost  to  the  rim,  in  some  coarse 
material,  like  coal  ashes  or  spent  tan  bark, 
in  order  that  the  earthworms  will  be  pre- 
vented from  entering  the  pots.  Other 
growers  replace  the  pots  in  the  soil  near  the 
parent  plant,  especially  if  water  for  irriga- 
tion or  sprinkling  is  handy.  Otherwise 
the  pots  are  placed  with  convenience  for 
watering,  as  this  is  the  main  thing  necessary 
during  the  growing  season. 

Sometimes,  for  convenience,  or  for  the  pur- 
pose of  protecting  the  plants  during  heavy 
thunderstorms,  the  pots  may  be  placed  in 
coldframes  without  the  glass.  In  the  fall, 
about  the  first  of  October,  it  is  time  to  con- 
sider ripening  off  the  plants.  At  this  time 
the  plants  will  have  attained  their  full  growth 
and  the  pots  will  be  filled  with  their  roots. 
Less  water  should  be  given  and  a  drying 
out  of  the  soil  in  the  pots  should  result. 

There  are  two  reasons  for  this  drying  off 
the  potted  plants: 


WINTER   FORCING  IO5 

1.  Firmer  and  larger  crowns  will  be  de- 
veloped. 

2.  The  pot  will  not  be  broken  when  the 
freezing  weather  comes. 

In  the  first  case,  this  drying  off  represents 
the  dry  fall  season  and  causes  the  plant  to 
store  up  material  in  the  crowns  for  future 
use.  The  plants  are  then  in  the  right  condi- 
tion for  the  subsequent  forcing. 

Freezing  of  the  soil  in  the  pot  when  there 
is  considerable  moisture  in  it  causes  pressure 
on  the  side  of  the  pot  and  finally  breaks  it. 
This,  of  course,  is  a  needless  expense  and 
should  not  occur.  It  seems  best  for  the 
future  forcing  that  this  freezing  should  take 
place,  although  it  is  not  necessary.  This 
freezing  gives  the  plant  the  idea  that  the 
rest  period  has  actually  come,  and  it  often 
results  in  better  crops,  both  in  quality  and 
size  of  berries. 

The  potted  plants  are  taken  from  this 
frozen  condition  and  placed  in  suitable  stor- 
age rooms  where  they  may  be  taken  out  with 
the  least  inconvenience. 

Generally  speaking,  from  the  time  the 
plants  are  brought  into  the  greenhouse  until 
fruiting,  there  is  a  lapse  of  eight  to  ten  weeks, 


I06        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

sometimes  twelve  weeks  passing  before  ripe 
strawberries  are  ready,  variation  in  the  time 
being  due  principally  to  different  conditions 
of  sunlight  and  temperature.  If  ripe  straw- 
berries are  desired  in  January,  then  the  plant 
must  be  started  early  in  November. 

When  the  plants  are  brought  under  the 
forcing  process  in  the  houses,  the  tempera- 
ture for  the  first  two  or  three  days  should  be 
held  at  35  degrees,  day  and  night.  After 
this  time  slightly  higher  temperature  may  be 
given,  or  the  pots  may  be  changed  to  another 
house.  At  the  end  of  the  first  week  45  de- 
grees should  be  registered.  The  second  week- 
end 10  to  15  degrees  higher  in  the  daytime  is 
required,  with  a  night  temperature  of  not 
less  than  50  degrees.  After  this  slightly 
higher  day  temperature  may  be  given,  75 
to  80  degrees,  with  55  to  60  degrees  at  night. 

The  pots  may  be  set  on  shelves  or  any 
convenient  place  in  the  house,  nearer  the 
glass  in  darker  houses  with  less  attention  as 
to  nearness  of  glass  in  the  so-called  *May- 
light"  houses.  If  the  pots  are  to  be  placed 
on  the  benches,  they  may  be  plunged  to  near 
the  rim,  in  either  spent  tan  bark  or  coal 
ashes,  as  these  materials  will  give  good  drain- 


^  o 


^    c 


WINTER   FORCING  IO7 

age  and  still  retain  enough  moisture.  When 
the  leaves  start  growing  it  is  sometimes  best 
to  spray  with  bordeaux  mixture,  as  a  pre- 
ventive against  the  leaf  spot.  This  spraying 
may  have  to  be  repeated  later,  according  to 
the  appearance  of  the  plant.  Wetting  of 
the  walks  should  be  discontinued  at  blossom- 
ing time.  This  is  highly  necessary  if  fruit  is 
desired  as  the  pollen  will  not  ripen  in  a  moist 
condition  of  the  air.  Good  ventilation  at 
flowering  should  also  be  in  order,  especially 
at  midday,  still  maintaining  the  required 
temperature. 

Pollination  is  carried  on  by  hand,  generally 
during  the  middle  of  the  day.  There  are 
several  ways  of  giving  pollen  to  the  pistils. 
Some  growers  pick  off"  a  flower  here  and  there 
and  thrust  it  into  an  attached  flower;  others 
merely  tap  the  flower  with  a  pencil,  causing 
the  pollen  to  fall  on  the  pistil. 

The  most  common  method,  however,  is 
that  of  collecting  the  pollen  in  a  watch  glass, 
spoon,  or  ladle  and  applying  it  to  the  pistils 
with  the  aid  of  a  camel's-hair  brush.  Some 
varieties  may  be  able  to  produce  fruit  with- 
out this  artificial  pollination;  nevertheless,  the 
majority  of  growers  prefer  the  hand  method. 


I08        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

When  the  fruit  is  set,  all  but  six  or  eight 
of  the  very  best  fruits  should  be  picked  off. 
This  will  result  in  greatly  increased  size  of 
the  remaining  berries,  as  the  full  strength  or 
life  of  the  plant  is  given  to  produce  these 
few.  At  this  time  it  is  a  good  practice  to 
give  the  plants  an  application  of  liquid  man- 
ure, made  by  diluting  well-rotted  cow  manure 
with  water.  At  first  the  solution  must  be 
weak,  and  not  applied  very  often,  one  dose  in 
four  or  five  days  being  enough,  increasing  the 
number  of  applications  as  the  size  of  the 
fruit  progresses.  Also  slightly  increase  the 
strength  of  the  liquid. 

At  ripening  time  it  is  important  to  be 
very  careful  in  applying  this,  ofttimes  it  is 
better  to  use  clear  water  than  to  discolour 
the  fruit  with  the  former  watering. 

As  the  fruit  swells  and  hangs  so  that  it 
can  touch  either  the  soil,  pot,  or  wood,  it  is 
often  best  to  give  it  some  support  in  order 
that  the  fruit  may  be  ripened  all  over. 
Small  meshed  window  screening,  cut  so  that 
it  can  hold  up  the  fruit,  is  very  good.  Pieces 
of  hay  wire  bent  so  that  the  fruit  will  be  held 
away  from  the  pot  are  also  used. 

The  fruit  should  be  picked  as  explained 


WINTER    FORCING  IO9 

in  another  chapter,  and  should  be  very  care- 
fully packed  to  show  itself  off.  The  Leslie 
box  lined  with  white  paper  is  the  best  one 
for  attracting  attention.  The  plants  are 
worthless  after  once  fruiting. 

The  price  received  for  this  fruit  is  ex- 
tremely high  as  compared  to  the  out-of- 
door  fruit,  but  it  is  generally  purchased  by 
those  who  can  afford  the  fruit  out  of  season 
and  50  cents  to  $i  or  more  a  box  is  no  draw- 
back if  these  parties  have  the  taste  for  straw- 
berries out  of  season. 


CHAPTER  IX 
Propagation,  Breeding 

The  strawberry  is  one  of  the  easiest  plants 
to  propagate;  in  fact,  nature  has  arranged 
for  the  production  of  offspring  from  the 
plants.  There  are  two  ways  by  which  the 
plant  is  propagated  that  are  worthy  of 
consideration: 

1.  By  seeds. 

2.  By  runners  (or  rather,  new  plants 
produced  at  certain  points  on  the  runners). 

The  first  process  is  the  one  that  is  so 
common  among  our  wild  strawberries,  where 
the  fruit  matures  and  the  seed  drops  to  the 
ground,  there  being  partly  covered  up  and 
either  germinating  that  summer;  or,  if  the 
conditions  are  not  right,  it  may  lay  over 
until  the  opening  of  spring  the  following 
year.  Man  has  stepped  in  and  used  this 
seed  method  of  propagation  for  the  produc- 
tion of  new  varieties. 


PROPAGATION,    BREEDING  III 

For  the  practical  farmer,  suburbanite, 
or  grower,  who  has  no  thought  or  time  for 
the  first  process  of  propagation,  the  second 
is  the  only  feasible  one  to  consider. 

This  method  consists  of  setting  the  plants 
in  well  enriched  and  prepared  soil  and 
giving  the  runners  the  best  possible  oppor- 
tunity to  grow  and  produce  plants  at  the 
joints.  If  the  soil  is  particularly  fine  (some- 
times a  top  dressing  of  well-decomposed 
manure  is  advantageously  applied)  around 
the  plant  so  that  the  roots  from  these 
new  formed  plants  can  obtain  a  foothold 
quickly,  the  resultant  growth  is  more  satis- 
factory. 

It  is  generally  considered  that  the  first 
plant  which  is  produced  on  each  runner  is 
the  best,  and  this  is  true  in  one  sense  —  that 
is,  that  being  first  it  has  a  longer  time  to 
develop  and,  therefore,  is  larger  in  the  fall  of 
the  year.  Nevertheless,  the  second  or  third 
plant  produced  is  just  as  good  as  the  first, 
as  far  as  its  ability  to  produce  fruit,  etc., 
is  concerned. 

It  has  sometimes  been  noticed  that,  owing 
to  better  soil  conditions  around  the  second 
or  third  plant  produced  on  a  runner,  these 


112        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

plants  outstrip  the  first  produced,  where  the 
soil  is  not  in  such  good  condition. 

It  is  better  not  to  allow  overproduction 
of  new  plants  by  the  parent.  Four  runners 
with  one  plant,  possibly  two,  on  each  will 
return  larger  plants  in  the  fall  than  where 
the  plant  is  allowed  to  produce  great  num- 
bers of  runners  and  plants. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  relative 
power  or  characteristics  of  certain  varieties 
of  strawberries  to  produce  plants.  Some, 
like  the  Marshall,  Gandy,  Texas,  etc.,  are 
shy  bearers  of  young  plants;  while  other 
varieties,  like  Stevens'  Late  Champion, 
Michel's  Early,  Dunlop,  will  over  reproduce. 
Careful  attention  must  be  given  these  latter 
in  regard  to  thinning  the  plants  if  a  full  crop 
of  large  berries  is  desired. 

After  the  new  plants  have  become  firmly 
established,  the  runner  from  the  old  plant 
to  the  new  is  broken,  and  the  new  individual 
has  its  own  way  to  work,  without  further 
help  from  the  parent.  At  this  time,  or  later, 
the  new  plants  may  be  moved  to  their  new 
places  in  the  bed  that  is  to  be  set  out  each 
year,  being  sure  that  the  plant  that  is  lifted 
from  the   old    bed  has  many  strong  yellow 


113 

to  whitish  coloured  roots.  If  it  has  black 
roots,  it  is  not  a  new  freshly  produced  plant, 
but  is  an  old  plant.  These  old  ones  are  not 
as  desirable  to  set  out,  as  larger  and  bet- 
ter fruit  is  produced  on  younger  plants. 

There  has  been  much  talk  about  the  pot- 
grown  plants  which  are  advertised  for  sale 
in  the  late  summer  or  early  fall.  These  can 
be  easily  grown  by  filling  with  good  soil  and 
sinking  a  two  or  three  inch  pot  into  the  ground 
just  under  the  joint  in  the  runner  where  the 
new  plant  is  to  develop.  When  the  new 
plants  have  produced  a  sufficient  number 
of  roots,  so  that  the  pots  contain  a  com- 
pact mass  or  ball,  the  runners  are  care- 
fully severed  and  the  pots  with  the  plants 
are  lifted  and  are  ready  to  sell. 

They  may  be  sent  to  the  purchaser  with 
the  pot,  or  the  pots  may  be  removed  and 
each  plant  rolled  separately  in  a  piece  of 
paper,  generally  a  newspaper,  or  may  be 
packed  in  boxes  and  shipped  without  wrap- 
ping. One  hundred  plants,  pot-grown,  cost 
without  pots,  about  $3,  or  50  cents  a  dozen. 

The  cost  of  these  plants  is,  of  course,  more 
than  for  the  spring  or  fall  dug  plants,  owing 
to   the   labour   involved   and   the   fact   that 


114        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

practically  the  whole  plant  is  sold.  It  is 
possible,  by  using  plants  that  have  become 
well  established  In  the  pots,  or  those  that 
have  had  a  fair  length  of  time  to  develop, 
to  get  a  moderate  crop  of  fruit  the  first 
spring.  This,  of  course,  would  be  of  more 
importance  to  the  small  grower,  farmer,  or 
fancier,  than  to  the  large  commercial  grower, 
as  the  extra  expense  in  either  growing  or 
buying  the  plants  would  be  practically  out 
of  the  question  for  the  large  grower,  who 
caters  to  the  general  market,  and  must  pro- 
duce large  crops  of  fruit  in  order  to  make  a 
profit. 

There  is  one  point  that  must  be  very 
carefully  observed  in  the  propagation  of 
plants.  When  the  mother  plant  is  set  in 
the  bed  for  the  purpose  of  producing  other 
plants,  it  must  not  be  expected  to  produce 
fruit  as  well  as  plants;  therefore,  all  blos- 
soms must  be  picked  off  the  mother  plant. 
This  is  also  the  best  practice  for  newly  set 
beds  in  which  the  first  year  the  original 
plants  are  expected  to  produce  a  heavy  crop 
of  offspring.  The  grower  must  be  reasonable, 
and  remove  the  buds  as  soon  as  lObserved, 
thereby  giving  the  strength  to  the  propagation 


PROPAGATION,    BREEDING  II5 

of  plants  rather  than  to  the  exhaustive  work 
of  producing  buds,  flowers,  pollen,  and  fruit. 

PEDIGREED   OR  THOROUGHBRED    PLANTS 

What  is  meant  by  the  word  "pedigree"  or 
"thoroughbred"  as  applied  to  the  plants  of 
the  strawberry?  The  words  signify  that 
the  plant  is  of  a  particular  strain,  or  ^at  it 
has  a  known  "line  of  ancestors,"  sometimes 
called  plant  genealogy.  It  may  be  the 
result  of  breeding  of  two  good  parents  and 
the  subsequent  selections  of  the  best  off- 
spring each  year,  until  a  constancy  or  fixed 
characteristic  or  habit  is  maintained.  An- 
other method  may  be  nothing  but  the  selec- 
tion of  the  best  producing  plants  of  some 
variety  for  a  long  term  of  years.  This  may  be 
started  in  the  home  garden  where  the  plant 
is  selected  that  produces:  (i)  The  largest 
number  of  berries;  (2)  the  largest  number 
of  well-shaped  berries;  (3)  the  largest 
number  of  large-sized,  uniform  berries;  (4) 
the  most  vigorous,  healthy  plant,  coupled 
with  the  three  other  characteristics. 

This  plant  is  removed  from  the  bed  after 
fruiting  and  set  in  the  well-prepared  prop- 
agating  bed    for  the  production  of  plants. 


Il6        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

These  plants  may  be  allowed  to  fruit  the 
next  year,  and  one  or  two,  that  have  even 
better  qualities  than  the  parent,  may  be 
selected  and  placed  in  the  propagating  bed 
after  fruiting.  New  plants  are  thus  obtained 
which  are,  the  following  year,  subjected  to 
the  process  of  choice  selection. 

This  selection  may  be  carried  on  for  years 
and  years,  and,  if  the  grower  has  some  good 
ideals  to  select  to,  each  plant  will  tend  to  be 
of  higher  quality  than  its  parent.  There  may 
be  poor  seasons;  as  drought,  frost,  and  in- 
sects, or  other  injuries  may  somewhat  hinder, 
but  the  results  for  an  average  number  of 
years  will  be  of  great  value  to  the  grower 
who  practises  this  process  of  selection. 

Many  times  a  person  has  not  the  time 
nor  the  inclination  to  practise  improvement 
of  strawberry  plants  by  selection,  and  it  is 
fortunate  that  we  have  engaged  in  selling 
plants  to  the  public  men  that  do  take  pains 
to  produce  plants  that  are  thus  pedigreed  or 
thoroughbred. 

POLLINATION 

The  statement  is  often  made  that  certain 
plants   must  be   planted   with   reference  to 


(U     O 


CO      ^ 


2^ 


117 

pollination.  Now  just  what  is  meant  by 
this  term? 

To  give  a  clear  idea,  a  little  of  the  detail 
of  the  growth  and  development  of  flowers 
is  necessary.  When  the  flower  of  a  straw- 
berry opens,  around  the  outside  edge  is  seen 
five  white  leaves,  called  petals.  One  of  their 
functions  is  to  attract  insects  to  the  blossoms. 
Toward  the  centre  of  the  flower  are  seen 
a  lot  of  little  tubelike  bodies  with  caps  on 
their  heads  or  tops,  called  stamens.  In  these 
caplike  bodies  are  small  grains  of  a  yellow 
substance,  called  pollen.  This  is  the  male  part 
of  the  flower  and  is  the  part  that  when  placed, 
at  a  certain  time,  on  the  top  of  the  pistil 
of  a  strawberry  flower,  germinates  or  grows, 
sending  down  a  small  tube  or  root  into  the 
ovary  of  the  pistil,  there  uniting  with  the 
female  parts  and  starting  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  seed  and  flesh  of  the 
fruit.  By  this  it  is  seen  that  to  obtain 
strawberry  fruits,  pollen  must  be  produced 
and  deposited  on  the  top  of  the  pistil. 

At  the  centre  of  the  flower,  underneath 
the  stamens,  is  found  a  collection  of  vaselike 
structures.  These  are  the  pistils.  Each 
pistil  develops  a  certain  part  of  the  flesh  of 


Il8        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

the  fruit  if  properly  supplied  with  pollen, 
or  pollinated.  It  is,  therefore,  seen  that  all 
the  pistils  must  be  pollinated  or  deformed 
fruit  will  result.  At  times,  some  of  the 
pistils  are  killed  by  frost.  This  gives  a 
deformed  or  lopsided  fruit,  the  same  as 
produced  by  the  lack  of  proper  pollination. 

All  varieties  of  strawberries  have  the  pis- 
tillate parts  well  developed.  But  some  are 
defective  as  to  the  stamens.  The  latter  are 
classed  as  "pistillate"  (P.);  the  others  as 
"perfect"  or  bi-sexual  (B.). 

The  question  now  arises,  what  has  this 
to  do  with  the  planting  of  strawberries? 
With  a  clear  understanding  that  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  sex  in  plants,  then  it  is 
possible  so  to  plant  that  deficiencies  in  one 
line  or  the  other  may  be  overcome. 

Such  pistillate  varieties  as  Bubach,  Haver- 
land,  Sample,  Warfield,  and  others,  should 
not  be  planted  alone,  but  should  be  mixed 
or  planted  with  such  bi-sexual  varieties  as, 
Senator  Dunlap,  Wm.  Belt,  Excelsior,  Lady 
Thompson,  etc.  —  that  is,  plant  one  or  two 
rows  of  the  pistillate,  then  one  row  of  the 
bi-sexual,  and  so  on  throughout  the  entire 
bed.     Even  Glen   Mary,   which   is   a   weak 


BREEDING  II9 

bi-sexual  variety,  or  pollen  bearer,  is  made 
to  produce  more  by  interplanting  with 
Wm.  Belt  than  if  planted  alone. 

The  tendency  then  by  interplanting  with 
bi-sexual  varieties  among  pistillate  varieties 
is  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  the  pollen 
from  the  bi-sexual  varieties,  by  the  aid  of 
wind,  insects  or  other  means,  to  the  pistils 
of  the  pistillate  varieties,  and  in  this  way 
fruit  will  be  borne  on  plants  that  would 
otherwise  be  non-productive. 

This  little  discussion  on  pollination  may 
help  to  explain  why  many  beds  planted  to 
one  variety  alone  have  not  borne  fruit. 

SPREAD    OF    POLLEN 

When  the  flowers  have  opened  and  the 
pollen  is  ripe  for  the  use  of  pollinating, 
there  are  several  agencies  that  are  active 
in  the  spreading  of  this  yellowish  dust, 
which  is  so  important  in  the  production  of 
fruit.  Among  these  agencies  there  are  two 
that  are  very  important:  (i)  Insects  and 
(2)  wind. 

The  various  insects  are  seen  flitting  from 
flower  to  flower,  perhaps  taking  something 
from  the  flowers,  as  in  the  case  of  the  honey 


I20        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

bee  who  Is  after  nectar,  but  more  often 
doing  an  immense  amount  of  good  in 
knocking  the  pollen  from  off  the  anthers 
on  to  the  pistils,  or  coating  parts  of  their 
bodies  with  pollen  which  is  again  deposited 
in  the  next  flower  or  some  others  visited  by 
the  insect,  thus  bringing  about  proper  polli- 
nation and  fruitfulness  of  the  plant. 

The  winds  help  in  knocking  off  the  pollen 
and  carrying  it  to  other  blossoms.  Both  of 
these  agencies  are  nature's  way  of  aiding 
either  cross  or  self  pollinating  by  the  flowers 
and  would  be  called  the  process  of  natural 
breeding. 

Providing  one  of  the  fruits  which  was 
matured  this  way  was  used  to  produce  new 
plants  from  the  seeds  on  the  outside  of  the 
berry,  it  would  be  practically  impossible 
to  tell  more  than  one  parent  of  the  resultant 
offspring.  This  being  the  case,  the  new 
plant  would  have  just  as  much  tendency 
to  degenerate  as  it  would  to  improve.  Man 
has  stepped  in  and,  by  a  simple  process,  and 
by  his  knowledge  of  the  parents  of  the 
offspring,  and  knowing  just  which  parents 
will  breed  together  the  best,  has  eliminated 
much  of  the  chance  In  breeding. 


PROPAGATION,    BREEDING  121 

Small  paper  bags  are  put  over  both  par- 
ents, so  that  no  possible  outside  pollen 
can  come  in.  The  flower  which  is  to 
be  the  female  is  emasculated  —  that  is, 
the  stamens  which  bear  the  pollen  are 
removed  just  at  the  time  when  the  bud  is 
about  to  blossom  forth  as  an  open  flower. 
A  small  sharp  implement  is  used,  cutting 
through  the  petals  and  removing  all  the 
stamens.  The  blossom  is  then  rebagged. 
When  the  pollen  is  ripe  on  the  other  bagged 
blossom,  the  bag  is  removed  and  the  pollen 
knocked  onto  a  watch  glass  or  other  re- 
ceptacle and  this  powder  is  immediately- 
applied,  by  the  aid  of  a  camel's-hair  brush, 
to  the  emasculated  flower  so  that  the  pistils 
have  sufficient  pollen  for  pollination  and 
fecundation,  which  results  in  clean,  well- 
shaped  fruit.  It  may  be  necessary  to 
pollinate  the  flower  twice  to  be  sure  of 
supplying  enough  pollen. 

The  flowers  are  bagged  at  once  and  remain 
so  until  the  fruit  has  attained  some  size; 
then  the  paper  bag  is  exchanged  for  a  mesh 
bag  either  of  very  coarse  cheesecloth  or 
mosquito  netting.  This  latter  bag  remains 
on  until  the  fruit  is  fully  matured. 


122        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

The  fruit  is  picked  when  "dead  ripe''  and 
the  seeds  may  be  sliced  off  with  a  knife, 
having  a  small  part  of  the  flesh  attached,  and 
planted  in  a  flat  of  wet  sand.  After  two  or 
three  weeks,  if  the  flats  are  kept  in  a  moist, 
cool  condition,  some  of  the  seed  will  have 
germinated  and  come  up  above  the  ground. 

These  small  plants  may  be  allowed  to 
develop  until  three  inches  high,  when  it  is 
best  to  transplant  them  into  a  pot  of  good 
garden  soil  or  plant  them  outdoors  in  the 
nursery  rows. 

The  very  best  care  must  be  given  during 
the  summer  and  fall,  also  good  winter  pro- 
tection provided.  The  following  spring  and 
summer  the  plants  are  allowed  to  set  new 
plants  and  to  make  a  good  growth.  Fruiting 
should  not  be  allowed  this  year  for  the  best 
results,  however;  the  second  spring  fruiting 
is  in  order  and  selection  of  new  improved 
varieties  should  begin,  following  out  the 
selection  process  along  the  lines  laid  down  for 
pedigree  plants. 

The  beginner  in  breeding  should  not  be 
disappointed  if  the  results  of  breeding  are 
not  fully  up  to  his  expectations,  as  the 
possibility  of  obtaining  a  worthy  variety  is 


PROPAGATION,    BREEDING  123 

becoming  harder  each  year.  It  may  be  best 
for  the  amateur  to  Improve  some  highly 
recommended  variety  by  the  process  of  selec- 
tion, leaving  the  breeding  to  the  specialist  or 
fancier. 

Some  of  the  common  crosses  made  have 
been  McKInley  x  RIdgeway,  Glen  Mary  x 
Wm.  Belt,  Hunn  x  Ideal,  Wm.  Belt  x  Wild 
strawberry,  RIdgeway  x  Wild  strawberry, 
and  so  on  through  numberless  combinations. 

Observation  made  upon  the  sex  of  seedlings 
produced  by  cross-breeding  have  been  some- 
what Interesting. 

14  seedling  plants  of  Bubach  P.  x  Wilson  B.  formed  5   with  B. 

blossonas  and  8  with  P.  blosoms. 
14  seedlings  of  Bubach  P.  x  Wm,  Belt  B.  formed  8  with  B.  blossoms 

and  6  with  P.  blossoms. 
48  seedlings  of  Glen  Mary  B.  x  Wm.  Belt  B.  formed  47  with  B. 

blossoms  and  i  with  P.  blossoms. 
30  seedlings  of  Hunn  P.  x  Ideal  B.  formed  21  with  B.  blossoms  and 

9  with  P.  blossoms. 

Some  of  the  bl-sexual  blossoms,  though, 
were  very  weak  In  pollen.  One  of  the  plants 
of  this  last  cross  proved  quite  promising 
and  a  description  of  the  offspring  Is  here 
given :  (Note.  The  description  of  the  parents 
of  these  seedlings  Is  given  under  Varieties 
in  the  last  chapter.) 


124       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Leaves  —  Large,  dark. 

Sex  —  Perfect. 

Season — Medium.    Fruit  stems  numerous. 

The  fruit  is  conical  in  form.  Size,  large. 
Colour,  light  red  outside  and  inside.  Quality 
good,  sub-acid.  Yield,  good.  Fine  appear- 
ance. 

In  the  cross  Hunn  x  Ideal  it  was  hoped 
to  unite  or  combine  ideal  form  with  late 
ripening.  The  results,  however,  showed  that 
the  plants  retained  the  characteristic  foliage 
of  the  Hunn,  being  dark  green,  growth  dwarf 
but  quite  vigorous.  Runners  strong  and 
rugged  but  very  few  produced.  The  fruit  was 
regular  in  form,  colour,  dark  red  and  glossy. 
Flesh,  dark  red.     Flavour,  very  acid. 

A  cross  of  Wm.  Belt  x  Wild  made  with 
the  idea  of  frost  resistance  produced  quite 
good  results.  The  plants  retained  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  wild,  setting  many  plants 
and  making  a  thick,  matted  row.  Frost 
resistance  quite  pronounced. 

Colour  of  the  fruit  is  bright  red,  seeds  deep 
sunken  with  the  wild  characteristic,  sharp 
corrugations  above  seeds.  Flavour  quite  pro- 
nounced of  the  sweet  wild  quality.  Size 
larger  than  wild.     Some  measure  from  |  to 


&i 


o   *^ 
O    u 


PROPAGATION,    BREEDING  I25 

if  inches  in  length  and  f  to  i  inch  in  diam- 
eter. Shape  of  berry  is  short  conical  with 
slight  neck. 

One  step  further  with  this  above  seedling, 
McKinley  x  [Wm.  Belt  x  Wild]  produced 
a  plant  which  showed  good  vigour  and 
disease  resistance.  Leaves,  numerous,  tall. 
Sex,  perfect.  Season,  medium.  Runners, 
long  and  quite  numerous.  Fruit  stems 
weak,  short.  The  fruit  is  large  in  size  for 
a  wild  cross.  Light  red  in  colour.  Rather 
flattened  conical  in  shape.  Quality  good, 
still  retaining  some  of  the  wild  sweetness. 
Frost  resistance  still  good. 

These  are  two  very  good  examples  of 
double  cross-breeding  and  the  results  show 
a  little  of  what  may  be  expected  by  careful 
breeding.  By  comparing  the  description 
of  the  parents  given  in  the  last  chapter  of 
this  book  with  the  following  offsprings' 
descriptions,  more  interest  in  the  subject 
will  be  produced.  ^ 

FIRST' EXAMPLE 

Variety  Glen  Mary  x  [Bubach  x  Wilson] 
resulted  in  a  seedling  of  the  following  de- 
scription. 


126        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Sex,  pistillate.  Season,  late.  Fruit,  size 
medium  to  large.  Runners,  long,  strong. 
Fruit  stems,  short.  Leaves,  large,  tall,  dark 
green,  somewhat  wrinkled.  Colour,  bright 
scarlet,  attractive.  Flavour,  resembling 
pineapple,  good.  Calyx,  large,  spreading. 
Yield,  medium  to  large.  Disease  resistance, 
good. 

SECOND    EXAMPLE 

Variety  [Bubach  x  Wm.  Belt]  x  Glen  Mary. 

The  plant  shows  good  vigour: 

Leaves,  dark  green,  curled.  Runners,  few. 
Fruit  stem,  short,  strong.  Sex,  bi-sexual. 
Season,  late. 

The  fruit  is : 

Size,  very  large.  Colour,  bright  scarlet. 
Quality,  good,  sub-acid.  Form,  ovate, 
flattened,  somewhat  irregular.  Calyx,  de- 
pressed. 

Taking  by  selection  the  best  of  these 
breeding  experiments,  it  is  possible  in  a  few 
years  to  obtain  something  quite  satisfactory 
and  new  in  the  strawberry  world. 


CHAPTER  X 
Scoring  and  Judging 

This  is  part  of  the  strawberry  industry 
that  has  been  somewhat  neglected.  Many 
judges  base  their  choices  for  prizes  more  on 
the  package,  packing,  and  general  appear- 
ance of  the  fruit  than  upon  any  specific 
characteristic. 

There  should  be  some  very  careful  meas- 
urements made  of  strawberries  of  different 
varieties  until  a  standard  for  each  variety 
is  worked  out.  These  measurements  should 
embrace  the  following: 

1.  Measurement  from  tip  of  berry  to 
highest  point  of  both  shoulders. 

2.  Measurement  from  shoulder  to  shoulder. 

3.  Measurement  of  the  circumference  of 
the  shoulder. 

With  these  measurements  it  would  then 
be  possible  to  judge  correctly  the  size  of  each 
variety  and  the  uniformity  of  this  size. 
127 


128        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

A  detailed  study  of  the  colours  of  straw- 
berries should  be  made  and  a  standard  for 
each  variety  given,  as  dark  red,  red,  scarlet, 
crimson,  or  some  combination  of  these,  and 
have  these  colours  conform  to  some  com- 
mercial standard. 

Such  characteristics  of  quality  as  acid, 
sub-acid,  sweet,  mild,  aromatic,  melting, 
gritty,  poor,  etc.,  should  be  stated,  as  well 
as  the  fact  that  the  berries  mash  easily  or 
not,  or  are  good,  medium,  or  poor  shippers, 
each  one  being  a  standard  for  each  variety. 

There  has  been  some  work  done  on  the 
shape  or  form  of  berries  and  there  is  some 
conformation  to  the  characteristic  shape 
of  each  variety  of  berries.  It  is  possible, 
however,  to  find  on  some  plants  berries 
shaped  like  a  top,  and  on  other  plants  of 
the  same  variety  berries  of  a  coxcomb 
shape.  By  this  it  is  seen  that  it  is  highly 
important  that  some  standard  for  each  vari- 
ety should  be  established,  in  order  that  in 
all  parts  of  the  country  strawberries  of  each 
variety  may  conform  to  some  set  require- 
ments and  when  exhibited  there  will  be 
more  similarity  between  samples  of  the  same 
variety. 


SCORING   AND    JUDGING 


129 


For  quick  judging  of  the  ripe  fruit,  the 
following  card,  with  its  scale  of  point,  is 
quite  handy: 


SCORE    CARD 

Size  of  berries 20  points 

Uniformity  of  size  of  berries 20     " 

Colour  of  berries 20    " 

rCommercial1^fPP^"^^°     ) 
Quality^  p'^^°"^    M    .      .     .  25     « 

Home  /Shipping   5      ( 

V.                      (Flavour  20    J 
Shape  of  berries IS     " 


Total 100  points 

For  more  detailed  scoring  of  the  whole 
plant  as  well  as  the  fruit  the  following  card 
is  recommended: 

STRAWBERRY   SCORE   CARD 

ScaU  of  Points      Part  of  Plant  Marshall  Warfield  Dunlap 


s 

Blossoms 

a.  Staminate  (many)    .... 

.      4 

S 

b.  Pistillate  (many  well  formed) 

25 

Productivity  of  plant  for  fruit 

16 

22 

22 

rS  size  of  berry 

8 

23 

Fruit  J  7  colour  of  berry    . 

. 

J  5  shape  of  berry    .      . 

\.Z  flavour  of  berry  . 

IS 

Shipping  quality  of  fruit     . 

.     13 

14 

14 

5 

Rust  proof  or  other  diseases 

4.5 

8 

Ability  to  produce  plants    . 

8 

S 

Foliage  (leaves  and  stock)  , 

4.5 

7 

Drought  resistancy,  vitality 

6 

6 

6.5 

7 

Root,  large,  well  formed      . 

S 

6 

6 

Total 


78        89.5 


92 


130        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

These  cards  can  easily  be  used  as  guides  for 
judges  who  have  not  a  complete  system 
of  classifying  and  scoring  the  fruit  at  the  fairs 
or  shows.  The  card  would  be  of  special  value 
if  there  were  a  question  raised  by  some 
grower  of  the  fruit  judged,  the  answer,  or 
defect  in  the  fruit  could  be  readily  ascer- 
tained from  the  score  card. 

A  good  judge  could  go  through  the  exhibits 
of  each  separate  variety  and  pick  out  the 
few  that  were  closely  matched  for  first  place; 
then,  by  careful  scoring,  the  first,  second,  and 
so  on  would  be  readily  shown. 

One  of  the  best  score  cards  is  that  by 
Professor  Card,  published  in  a  report  of 
the  Rhode  Island  Experiment  Station,  1905^ 
and  is  presented  herewith : 


Variety 

STRAWBERRY 

Plant 

Scale- 

-points  lo-perfect 

Vigour 

Disease  resistance 
Fruit 

Frost  resistance 

Productiveness 

Appearance 

Fragrance 

Size 

Texture 

Rot  resistance 

Regularity 
Quality 

Also  a  good  form  for  the  description  of 
strawberries. 


SCORING    AND    JUDGING  I3I 


DESCRIPTION 

Plant 

Leaves 

Runners Fruit  stems. 

Bloom • 

Season Sex 


Fruit 

Form' Flavour 

Colour Colour  of  flesh 

Calyx Core 

Seeds 

Position Size Colour. 

Season 

First Heaviest Last , . 

General  Notes 


Date  .  . . 
Observer 


To  simplify  entering  the  records,  the  fol- 
lowing key  was  devised: 

LEAVES 

Number  Size 

n— numerous;  f— few  I— large;  sm— small;  m — medium 

Height  Colour 

t— tall;  s— short  d— dark;  It— light 

SURFACE 

J. — rugose;  gl — glossy;  c — curled;  w-wrinkled 
Runners 

et — strong;  w — weak;  n — numerous;  1 — long;   s — short;  f — few 
Fruiting  stems 

St — strong;  w — weak;  1 — long;   s — short 
Number  of  fruits 
n — numerous;  f — few 


132        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

Bloom 

Season 
e — early;  m — medium;  1 — late 
Sex 
p — perfect;  i — imperfect 
Size 
1 — large;  sm — small;  m — medium 
Form 
i — irregular;       reg — regular;    cox — coxcombed;       ang — angular; 
ft — flattened;  s — short;  1 — long;     r — round;     c — conic;     o — 
oblate;    ob — oblong;    ov — ovate;    obt — obtuse 
Flavour 

a — acid;      sub — subacid;      ft — flat;      s — sweet;      sp — sprightly, 
msk — musky. 
Colour     (Based  on  Brainard  &  Armstrong's  coloured  silks) 

1 — light;    d — dark;    o.s. — opera  scarlet;    n.s. — new  scarlet;    s — 
scarlet;    car — cardinal;    cr — crimson. 
Calyx 
d — depressed;     c — close;      r — raised;     1 — large;      m — medium; 
s — small. 
Core 

s — solid;    sp — spongy;    h — hollow. 
Seeds,  position 

r — raised;   d — depressed;  d.d — deeply  depressed;    p — prominent, 

COLOUR 

i — light;  c — coloured;  m — mixed. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Costs,  Yields,  and  Profits 

After  a  careful  perusal  of  the  former 
chapters  of  this  book,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  give  the  reader  some  fairly  definite  state- 
ments as  to  the  costs,  possible  yields,  and 
profits,  which  may  be  obtained  from  the 
business  of  modern  strawberry  growing. 

This  is,  however,  more  easily  said  than 
done,  as  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  obtain 
reliable  figures  on  these  points,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  so  few  men  engaged  in  this 
business  keep  any  exact  records  of  the  ex- 
penses or  returns  from  their  crops. 

There  are  also  several  other  factors  which 
enter  into  the  production  of  a  good  crop, 
costs,  and  profits,  such  as : 

1.  Good  markets  near  by. 

2.  Good  roads  or  transportation  to  market 
—  street,  electric  or  steam. 

3.  Plenty  of  labour,  at  a  low  price,  and 
in  the  season. 

^33 


134       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

4.  Cheap  land. 

5.  Manure  or  fertilizer,  home-made  or  at 
a  low  cost. 

6.  Favourable  seasons  for  large  yields 

7.  The  man.  He  must  have  business 
ability  and  gumption,  coupled  with  common 
sense. 

To  take  this  matter  up  a  little  more 
systematically  let  us  first  consider  the  costs. 

Letters  received  from  the  North,  South, 
West,  and  East  show  that  the  average  amount 
of  money  put  into  an  acre  of  strawberries 
is  about  ^100,  some  returns  showing  as  low 
as  $45  and  as  high  as  ^150  per  acre.  The 
majority  of  these  estimates,  however,  do  not 
include  rental  or  interest  on  cost  of  the  land. 

One  of  the  best  worked-out  estimates 
for  one  acre,  valued  at  $200,  is  the  follow- 
ing: 

Interest  and  taxes $  IS 

Ploughing,  harrowing,  etc 6 

Value  of  12,000  pedigreed  plants  at  $6  per  M        ....  72 

Manure,  fifty  loads  at  $l  per  load 50 

Marking  ground  and  setting  plants 8 

Summer  cultivation lO 

Training  runners  around  the  plants 5 

Winter  covering  and  cost  of  putting  it  on IS 

Taking  off  winter  covering 5 

Total i5i86 


COSTS,    YIELDS,    AND    PROFITS  I35 

The  actual  cost  in  money  to  the  farmer 
for  just  one  acre  would  be  something  less 
than  this  because,  generally  speaking,  the 
ploughing,  harrowing,  cultivating,  marketing, 
setting,  training,  etc.,  can  all  be  done  without 
much,  if  any,  outlay  of  cash  by  the  farmer. 
Then,  if  stock  is  kept,  the  manure  cost 
would  be  reduced  or  done  away  with.  Also 
the  cost  of  winter  covering  can  be  greatly 
reduced,  as  it  would  be  but  a  slight  expense 
to  raise  enough  rye,  oat,  or  barley  straw  for 
this  purpose.  In  fact,  the  actual  cash  outlay 
to  the  farmer  would  figure  out  something 
like  the  following: 

Taxes ^5 

Plants 72 

Winter  cover  (home  raised)  seed  and  fertilizer     ....  8 
Labour,  horse  and  man,  not  any  actual  money  outlay 

Total  $SS 

Added  to  the  above  cost  in  both  cases 
would  be  the  expense  of  harvesting  and 
marketing: 

8,000  qts.  at  2c.  for  picking ^160.00 

8,000  boxes,  qt.  size,  at  $3.50  per  M,  less  5%         .      .         26.60 
250  crates,  32  qt.  size,  at  30c.  per  100,  less  5%        .         71.25 

Total  ^257-85 

Total  all  costs  figured  in 443  .  85 

Total  farmer's  costs 362.85 


136        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 
YIELDS 

The  yields  vary  so  much  that  no  two 
returns,  nor  two  years,  are  alike.  This  is 
owing  to  many  such  factors  as: 

1.  If  the  season  is  dry,  then  low  yields. 

2.  If  the  season  is  excessively  wet,  especi- 
ally at  fruiting,  yields  may  be  large  but  rot 
reduces  the  actual  returns. 

3.  The  soil  has  a  great  influence  on  yields. 

4.  Drainage  and  irrigation  are  important 
for  the  largest  yields. 

5.  Manure  and  fertilizer  available  at  the 
correct  time  are  important  factors. 

6.  Preparation  of  the  soil  for  the  crop 
should  not  be  ignored. 

7.  After  culture,  as  cultivating,  hoeing, 
training,  is  required. 

8.  Varieties  and  their  adaptability  to  the 
climate,  soil,  etc.,  demand  close  attention. 

It  is  easily  seen  that  this  producing  of 
large  crops  is  not  as  easy  as  might  be  at 
first  considered,  but  by  careful  businesslike 
methods,  year  in  and  year  out,  it  is  possible 
to  harvest  an  average  high-yielding  crop. 

In  the  West,  the  Bederwood  produces  from 
300  to  500  crates  per  acre  in  good  seasons. 
Even  as  high  as  800  crates  of  certain  berries, 


COSTS,    YIELDS,    AND    PROFITS  1 37 

under  very  good  systems  of  management  and 
on  small  tracts,  are  reported. 

In  the  East  Mr.  Kevitt  reports  close  to 
50,000  quarts  being  produced  per  acre  by 
his  system  on  his  place.  Others  report 
20,000  quarts,  and  these  reports  dwindle 
down  to  the  very  low  figures  of  3,200  quarts 
per  acre,  and  in  some  cases  less. 

For  a  normal  year  a  crop  of  300  crates  or 
9,000  quarts  per  acre  should  be  considered 
a  good  yield,  and  a  grower  who  could  not 
produce  at  least  100  crates,  or  3,000  quarts 
per  acre,  by  following  the  instructions  given 
should  go  out  of  the  business  and  follow  some 
other  line  to  which  he  is  more  adapted. 

PROFITS 

The  figures  given  show  that  the  total 
cost  for  an  acre  of  strawberries  under  very 
good  management  is  ^443.85,  with  an  actual 
outlay  of  cash  by  the  farmer  or  small  grower 
of  perhaps  ^362.85.  A  fair  yield  is  about 
8,000  quarts  with  a  possibility  of  a  good  one  of 
300  crates  (9,600  quarts).  The  average  prices 
in  a  large  number  of  cities  and  towns  is  12 
cents  a  box  where  sold  at  retail,  with  a  whole- 
sale average  of  $2  a  crate  for  good  berries. 


138        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

It  must  be  remembered  that  these  figures 
are  for  good  berries  and  do  not  Include  soft, 
poor,  or  mushy  berries,  which  often  bring 
but  50  cents  a  crate;  nor  does  this  price 
Include  the  fancy  fruit  which  sells  for  a 
premium  of  5  cents  to  10  cents  per  box. 
At  these  figures  the  returns  will  be: 

8,000  qts.   (250  crates)  at  $2    .      .      .      .     $500. 90  ^500.00 

Minus  costs  total 443-85  362.85 

Net  profit $  56.15  ^137-15 

If  the  berries  were  sold  at  retail  the 
returns  would  be: 

8,000  qts.  at  I2C $960.00  $960.00 

Minus  total  cost 443-85  362.85 


Net  profit $516.15  $597-1 


Some  readers  will  think  these  figures  are 
excessively  high  and  others  will  consider 
them  quite  low,  but  the  author's  experience 
has  shown  that  there  are  more  in  the  medium 
class  than  in  either  of  the  above  classes,  so 
It  is  important  that  the  figures  should  not 
be  of  excessively  low  returns  nor  of  too  high 
rank. 

An  average  of  the  estimates  show  the  cost 
of   producing   a   crate   of    berries   ready  for 


COSTS,    YIELDS,    AND    PROFITS  I39 

market  Is  about  ^1.07;  subtracting  this  from 
the  average  wholesale  price  per  crate,  $2, 
would  leave  a  profit  of  93  cents  which, 
multiplied  by  the  number  of  crates  produced, 
would  give  the  net  profit: 

250  crates  at  93c,  per  crate $232.50 

300  crates  at  93c.  per  crate 279.00 

800  crates  at  93c.  per  crate 74400 

These  returns  are  far  in  excess  of  the 
average  of  farm  crops  in  general  and  they 
compare  very  favourably  with  some  of  our 
large  net  returning  market  garden  crops. 


CHAPTER  XII 
Strawberries  for  the  Home 

The  home  grower  of  strawberries  has  the 
greatest  opportunity  in  the  world  for  pro- 
ducing the  largest  size  berries,  the  highest 
quality  of  fruit,  and  the  greatest  quantity 
per  square  foot,  as  each  inch  of  the  neces- 
sarily small  patch  can  be,  and  should  be,  un- 
der his  control. 

The  home  grower  will  find  even  in  the 
small  patch  of  soil  that  could  be  devoted 
to  strawberry  raising  some  spots  that  re- 
spond more  willingly  to  very  successful 
production  of  this  luscious  fruit.  Therefore, 
he  can  in  a  limited  way  have  some  choice  of 
site  for  the  bed.  Many  times  it  is  possible 
to  make  a  very  fine  bed  out  of  an  unfavour- 
able location,  particularly  so  if  artificial 
methods  of  irrigation,  drainage,  supplying 
humus,  and  other  accessories  are  installed. 

Generally  speaking,  the  proposed  bed  can 
140 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  I4I 

not  be  ploughed,  harrowed,  etc.,  in  the  regular 
way,  but  has  to  be  spaded,  followed  by  work- 
ing up  with  a  rake.  Nevertheless,  where  the 
bed  is  large  enough,  the  horse  work  should  be 
done  unless  particular  attention  is  desired 
in  soil  preparation.  The  suggestions  made 
in  the  chapters  of  this  book  on  soil  prepara- 
tion should  be  carefully  followed,  as  should 
other  matters  pertaining  to  this  crop. 

The  majority  of  the  beds  in  the  home  gar- 
den are  raised  beds,  that  is  to  say,  there  is  a 
slight  ditch  surrounding  the  patch  and  the 
soil  inside  this  trench  is  higher  than  that  out- 
side. 

After  the  bed  is  thoroughly  prepared,  the 
marking  out  should  follow,  and  planting 
very  soon  after  that.  The  best  results  in  the 
home  garden,  where  very  intensive  methods 
will  be  carried  on,  are  obtained  by  the  hill 
system  of  planting.  According  as  the  bed 
is  neglected,  the  system  used  will  approach 
that  of  the  matted  row.  This  last  system  is 
the  least  desirable  for  the  home  grounds,  as  it 
does  not  correspond  with  the  necessarily 
intensive  methods  that  should  be  carried  on 
there,  nor  does  it  produce  the  quality  or  size 
of  fruit  that  the  other  method  will. 


142        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

Planting  and  fertilization  should  be  the 
same  as  spoken  of  in  the  chapters  devoted 
to  the  subject,  fertilizers  being  reduced  in 
quantity  to  accommodate  the  decreased 
acreage.  Cultivation  should  be  given  more 
often  than  for  a  larger  patch.  The  use  of 
the  wheel  hoe  is  particularly  recommended 
for  this  work.  This  tool  is  so  useful  that  by 
skilful  operation  very  little  or  no  back  bend- 
ing or  hand  work  of  weeding  will  be  necessary. 
Deep  cultivation  is  recommended  at  first, 
with  shallower  work  later. 

Insects  and  disease  pests  can  be  controlled 
quite  easily.  By  using  a  knapsack  or  small 
Auto  spray  it  will  be  possible  to  spray  the 
plants  from  early  season  until  late,  with  but 
little  expense  and  not  extra-hard  labour.  A 
reduction  of  the  formulas  given  in  this  book 
for  larger  beds  will  be  necessary,  but  this  is 
only  a  question  of  mathematics  and  can  be 
easily  solved  by  the  home  grower. 

Mulching,  and  the  winter  and  spring  care 
of  the  bed,  as  elsewhere  mentioned  in  this 
book,  are  very  necessary  and  should  be  car- 
ried out  by  the  small  grower  in  some  detail. 

As  the  following  spring  opens  and  the 
plants  begin  to  renew  their  growth,  an  appli- 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  I43 

cation  of  complete  fertilizer  followed  by  one 
or  two  smaller  ones  of  nitrate  of  soda  would 
be  very  beneficial  to  the  plant,  particularly 
so  if  it  was  seen  to  that  a  sufficient  supply 
of  water  was  afterward  added  to  dissolve  the 
fertilizer  materials.  More  water,  if  nature 
does  not  supply,  should  be  given  after  the 
fruit  sets,  as  it  is  not  possible  to  produce 
good-sized,  shapely,  and  quality  fruit  without 
a  continuous  rapid  growth.  If  no  other  form 
of  irrigation  is  available  than  the  garden  hose, 
attach  it  to  a  lawn  sprinkler  and  let  it  run, 
changing  the  location  of  the  sprinkler  every 
hour  or  so,  according  to  how  fast  the  soil 
is  wet  and  the  kind  of  soil. 

After  all  this  care,  who  could  expect  any- 
thing else  but  the  highest  quality  straw- 
berries, the  kind  that  are  prize  winners  at 
fairs  and  exhibitions?  The  results  will  be 
fully  in  accord  with  the  labour  bestowed. 

AUGUST    PLANTING 

By  planting  potted  strawberries  in  August 
instead  of  runner  plants  in  April  one  can  have 
bearing  plants  the  next  season,  besides  being 
able  to  get  a  crop  of  peas,  beans,  early  corn, 
etc.,  from  the  ground  before  the  berries  arc 


144       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

planted.  Whether  your  soil  be  heavy  or 
light,  trench  it  two  spades  deep,  turning  in  a 
liberal  quantity  of  manure.  When  trench- 
ing, always  remove  a  pit  large  enough  to 
give  you  plenty  of  room  to  work,  and  then 
throw  the  topsoil  to  the  bottom  of  the  fin- 
ished bed,  distributing  your  manure  as 
evenly  as  possible  during  the  digging.  Use 
a  wagonload  of  manure  to  every  lOO  square 
feet  of  bed  on  extremely  light  soil,  reducing 
for  heavier  soils.  Virgin  soil  of  good  texture 
would  require  only  about  half  this  amount. 

When  ordering  your  plants  be  particularly 
careful  to  get  them  from  a  reliable  source;  if 
the  soil  has  been  shaken  from  the  roots  by 
the  time  the  plant  reaches  you,  it  is  not  worth 
planting,  for  it  has  suffered  a  check  and  will 
not  bear  satisfactorily  the  following  season. 

If  you  already  have  a  strawberry  bed  you 
can  raise  your  own  plants  each  season  by 
simply  potting  up  the  first  runners  that  ap- 
pear and  setting  them  in  a  coldframe  where 
they  can  be  shaded  for  a  few  days  and  care- 
fully watered.  For  shading  use  frames  made 
of  cheesecloth,  which  can  also  be  used  for 
protecting  seeds  and  seedlings,  to  prevent 
lettuce  from  going  to  seed,  etc.     When  the 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  14^ 

berry  plants  are  well  rooted,  set  them  out  in 
the  bed. 

Mark  off  the  bed  in  drills  before  planting, 
using  a  line  and  draw  hoe,  so  as  to  guarantee 
straight  rows.     Mark  off  the  rows  two  feet 
apart  and  set  the  plants  one  foot  apart  in 
the   row.     Of   course,    this    applies   only   to 
gardens  that  are  to  be  cultivated  by  hand. 
Be   sure   that   the   staminate   and   pistillate 
flowering   types   are   planted   in   sufficiently 
close   proximity   to   insure    proper    fertiliza- 
tion.    This  is  done  by  planting  in  alternate 
rows.     Use   a   trowel   for  planting   and   for 
measuring  the  distances,  most  trowels  being 
one  foot  long   (six-inch   blade   and   six-inch 
handle).    Put  the  plants  in  a  flat  or  small  box, 
after  knocking  them  out  of  the  pots,  and  drag 
this  along  the  drill,  setting  the  plants  as  you 
go,  using  the  trowel  to  space  them.     If  the 
ground  is  mellow,  all  that  need  be  done  is  to 
jab  the  trowel  into  the  soil  and  press  it  from 
side  to  side  until  the  hole  is  large  enough  to 
accommodate  the  plant.     If,   however,   the 
bed  was  prepared  some  time  ahead  and  the 
soil  has  baked  a  little,  loosen  It  when  plant- 
ing by  jabbing  the  trowel  down  Into  it  severa) 
times  where  the  plant  is  to  be  placed,  and 


146        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

twisting  it.  Always  set  the  plants  so  that 
they  will  be  about  the  same  height  above 
the  ground  as  they  were  in  the  pot.  Firm 
the  soil  around  each  plant  with  the  hand  and 
then  go  over  the  bed,  treading  down  the  soil 
with  the  feet.     Keep  all  runners  removed. 

Artificial  watering  must  at  times  be  re- 
sorted to,  particularly  after  setting  the 
plants.  Give  the  soil  a  thorough  drenching 
and  the  following  day,  when  the  surface  has 
dried  sufficiently,  give  deep  cultivation. 
The  practice  of  one  successful  berry  garden 
on  Long  Island  is  given  thus  by  Mr.  W.  C. 
McCollom: 

"Every  year  I  plant  ten  rows  of  berries 
ICMD  feet  long  —  about  1,000  plants  —  and  by 
placing  the  new  plantings  alongside  of  the  old 
beds,  they  can  be  worked  more  economically. 
I  always  have  three  beds  in  bearing.  I  throw 
out  a  bed  after  it  has  produced  a  crop  for 
three  years;  after  a  bed  has  been  in  use  for 
two  years  I  let  the  first  runners  root,  so  that 
the  oldest  bed  gives  me  the  largest  quantity 
of  berries,  although  they  are  not  quite  of  the 
same  high  quality  as  those  produced  by  the 
two  newer  beds.  A  bed  of  this  size  is  suf- 
ficient for  a  family  of  twelve;  four  people 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR    THE    HOME  I47 

could  be  plentifully  supplied  from  400  plants 
set  out  each  year,  which  would  give  1,200 
bearing  plants  at  the  end  of  three  years. 

"I  believe  it  is  a  good  plan  for  every  gar- 
dener to  have  a  few  bell  glasses  to  place  over 
some  of  the  largest  plants,  so  that  they  can 
be  forced  to  provide  a  few  berries  two  or 
three  weeks  earlier  than  the  regular  crop. 

*'A  great  deal  depends  upon  the  proper 
care  of  the  strawberry  bed.  Cultivate  it 
frequently,  keep  the  runners  removed,  and 
in  extremely  dry  weather  water  it  thoroughly. 

*'As  to  varieties,  I  would  advise  growing 
such  varieties  as  have  proved  successful  in 
your  locality.  Try  some  of  the  more  promis- 
ing of  the  new  ones,  if  you  like,  but  for  the 
greater  part  of  your  bed  use  the  same  varie- 
ties that  your  neighbour  is  successfully 
growing. 

"  Mulch  the  bed  in  fall,  but  wait  until  the 
soil  has  frozen  a  little.  This  prevents  the 
constant  freezing  and  thawing,  and  if  you 
use  a  good  quality  of  manure  it  prevents  the 
bed  from  running  down  and  producing  poor 
berries.  In  spring  I  turn  the  mulch  right 
under  between  the  plants. 

"  After  applying  the  mulch,  which  should 


148        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

be  kept  from  direct  contact  with  the  plants, 
I  cover  the  beds  with  a  light  covering  of 
meadow  hay  or  rye  straw.  The  common 
mistake  is  to  use  too  much  of  this;  just  a  light 
covering  is  all  that  is  required.  Over  this  lay 
some  pea  brush  to  keep  it  from  blowing  away." 

THE    SPRING-PLANTED    BED 

The  general  routine  of  management  of  the 
strawberry  bed  has  been  well  described  by 
another  successful  cultivator  (Mr.  W.  H. 
Jenkins)  thus: 

"  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the 
new  strawberry  bed  for  fruiting  next  year 
(and  which  was  set  in  spring)  be  kept  free 
from  weeds.  Begin  cultivation  before  the 
weeds  appear.  Do  not  wait  for  the  ground  to 
bake  hard,  but  start  the  cultivator  while  the 
soil  is  mellow.  A  garden  wheel  hoe,  with 
large  wheels,  having  such  attachments  as 
ploughs,  rakes,  cultivators,  teeth,  etc.,  is  the 
best  tool  to  use.  For  the  first  cultivation 
put  on  the  ploughs  and  run  the  wheel  hoe 
both  ways  between  the  rows  of  plants,  which 
should  be  at  least  two  feet  apart  each  way 
and  in  check  rows.  Cut  the  soil  quite  deeply 
between  the  rows  each  way  to  aerate  and 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  I49 

mix  the  fertilizer  with  it.  Next  put  the 
rakes  on  the  wheel  hoe  and  pulverize  and 
level  the  little  furrows  left  by  the  plough. 

"  If  you  lack  space  for  garden  vegetables 
and  wish  to  do  some  intensive  gardening,  sow 
a  row  of  vegetables,  such  as  early  lettuce, 
radishes,  spinach,  or  some  quick-maturing 
crop,  halfway  between  the  rows  of  straw- 
berries. Put  the  rows  of  strawberry  plants 
and  the  vegetables  at  least  one  foot  apart. 
A  very  good  way  is  to  mix  lettuce  and  radish 
seed  and  sow  them.  The  radish  will  ger- 
minate in  about  a  week;  then  one  can  con- 
tinue cultivation  with  wheel  hoe.  Put  on 
two  cultivator  teeth  on  each  side  of  the  hoe 
and  run  them  on  either  side  of  the  row  of 
vegetables  —  i.  e.,  straddle  it.  Clean  out  all 
these  early  vegetables  in  June,  so  as  not  to 
obstruct  the  cultivation  of  the  strawberries. 
If  one  has  elsewhere  in  the  garden  plenty  of 
rich  soil  prepared  for  vegetables,  do  not  plant 
any  crop  in  the  strawberry  rows. 

"  During  midsummer  cultivate  so  that 
there  will  be  a  dust  mulch  —  a  fine  layer  of 
soil  on  the  surface  —  that  will  cause  the 
moisture  to  rise  by  capillary  attraction.  The 
best  way  to  do  this  with  the  wheel  hoe  is  to 


150        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

use  the  cultivator  teeth  as  soon  as  the  soil 
dries  out  after  a  rain,  then  finish  with  rakes, 
using  the  hoe  to  cut  off  all  weeds  as  soon  as 
they  appear.  Only  a  little  hand  hoeing  will 
be  needed  close  around  the  plant.  If  you 
keep  a  horse  or  can  get  one  easily,  horse 
cultivation  with  a  cultivator  having  several 
small  teeth  is  best  and  easiest,  but  this  should 
have  been  planned  for  when  setting  the 
plants  by  making  long  rows  two  and  a  half 
feet  or  more  apart.  I  have  sometimes  cul- 
tivated the  long  way  of  the  bed  with  the 
horse  and  the  short  way  with  a  wheel  hoe. 
This  makes  the  soil  so  mellow  that  the  wheel 
hoe  runs  very  easily. 

"  The  method  of  clipping  and  transplant- 
ing runners,  if  any  are  left  to  grow,  will  de- 
pend on  the  plan  of  culture  you  have  decided 
upon.  For  best  results  in  hill  culture,  put  the 
plants  in  check  rows  not  over  two  feet  apart 
each  way;  eighteen  inches  is  better  for  light 
soils,  and  for  the  non-stooling  varieties.  Hill 
culture  is  the  highest  culture  and  the  plants 
require  more  attention.  The  runners  must 
be  clipped  every  two  or  three  days  all  sum- 
mer, the  plants  watched  closely  for  white 
grubs  which  eat  off  the  roots  of  the  plants; 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  I5I 

then  the  bed  requires  good  mulching  in  the 
fall  to  keep  the  plants  alive  all  winter. 

"  If  the  white  grub  appears  try  the  car- 
bon bisulphide  remedy.  Just  pour  a  table- 
spoonful  of  the  liquid  on  the  crown  of  the 
plant,  letting  it  soak  into  the  soil. 

"  Probably  your  best  plan  will  be  the 
hedge-row  system,  which  is  to  cut  all  the 
runners  until  about  July  ist,  when  bed  one 
or  two  of  the  strongest  runners  on  each  plant 
in  the  rows  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  run- 
ning the  cultivator  one  way.  After  this 
try  to  keep  all  runners  cut,  and  a  dust  mulch 
around  the  plants  and  the  weeds  destroyed 
when  they  first  germinate. 

"  It  is  very  bad  practice  to  dig  plants 
from  the  fruiting  bed  to  make  a  new  bed  in 
the  spring.  It  is,  however,  a  good  thing  to 
make  a  little  propagating  bed  quite  late  in 
the  spring,  when  the  leaves  are  so  large  that 
you  can  distinguish  the  different  varieties, 
using  those  which  have  proved  most  desirable. 
One  can  bed  all  the  strong,  early  runners  at 
one  end  of  a  row,  placing  them  around  the 
mother  plant  like  the  spokes  in  a  wheel  and 
holding  them  down  by  little  stones  or  soil. 
Keep  the  bed  clean  and  late  in  the  summer 


152        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

thin  out  the  plants  so  that  they  stand  two  or 
three  inches  apart.  I  prefer  to  make  the 
propagating  bed  apart  from  the  fruiting  bed. 
"  In  order  to  keep  the  berries  from  getting 
very  sandy,  place  a  layer  of  green  grass  be- 
tween the  rows  after  the  weeding  is  done. 
Shallow  cultivation  is  good  for  the  plants 
all  summer,  and  even  up  to  picking  time. 
With  a  heavy  mulch  there  will  be  fewer  weeds 
and  less  evaporation  of  moisture.  When 
the  berries  are  picked,  mow  the  plants  close 
to  the  ground  and  cultivate  between  the 
rows  to  start  a  new  root  growth  and  a  new 
growth  of  foliage  so  as  to  have  new  plants 
instead  of  old  ones  for  fruiting  next  year." 

SELECTING    BERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME 

Strawberries  for  the  home  garden  are 
measured  by  a  standard  of  their  own.  One 
of  the  first  considerations  for  market  is 
ability  to  stand  transportation.  This  means 
a  degree  of  firmness,  or  perhaps  of  toughness, 
that  will  stand  knocking  about  and  will  keep 
the  berries  from  becoming  bruised  by  the 
jars  of  rough  handling.  Growers  for  market 
are  compelled  to  select  such  varieties,  and 
sometimes    this   consideration   is   carried   so 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HQME  1 53 

far  as  to  annoy  the  purchaser,  who  finds  he 
has  bought  something  with  the  texture  and 
consistency  of  a  Russet  apple  or  a  slightly 
modified  piece  of  cork.  It  has  been  very 
truly  pointed  out  that  all  these  considerations 
may  be  ignored  in  selecting  varieties  for 
home  use  where  quality  is  the  first  object. 
The  more  delicate  the  texture  the  better, 
if  only  the  berries,  when  thoroughly  ripened 
through  and  through,  will  not  crush  by  care- 
ful packing  and  gentle  carriage  to  the  house. 
Mr.  James  Wood  of  New  York,  a  man  of  much 
experience,  has  ably  expressed  this  feeling, 
and  makes  the  following  recommendations, 
which  will  help  the  home  gardener: 

*'The  points  to  be  considered  in  valuing  a 
home  berry  are  wealthfulness  and  vigour  in 
the  plant,  beauty  of  form  and  colour,  creami- 
ness  of  texture,  and  agreeable  flavour.  I  do 
not  name  productiveness  because  great  pro- 
ductiveness is  not  usually  accompanied  by 
high  quality.  Where  the  ground  in  the 
home  garden  available  for  strawberries  is 
very  small,  it  may  be  advisable  to  seek  a 
variety  that  will  give  a  large  crop  from  a 
small  area. 

"Good  form  is  important,  as  it  is  very 


154        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

desirable  to  have  each  berry  a  thing  of  beauty 
when  placed  upon  the  table.  To  most  eyes  a 
rather  long  berry  with  a  neck  between  the 
hull  and  shoulder  is  particularly  pleasing. 
Good  colour  is  also  important.  Some  ber- 
ries, otherwise  good,  have  a  dull,  dead  colour 
that  of  itself  condemns  them.  The  brighter 
and  clearer  the  colour,  whether  scarlet  or 
crimson,  the  better.  Some  of  the  scarlet 
berries  are  white  inside.  By  most  people  a 
berry  is  preferred  that  has  a  bright  red  flesh 
all  through. 

"Most  important  of  all  the  qualities, 
however,  is  the  flavour,  but  for  this  we  can 
fix  upon  no  uniform  standard.  Some  per- 
sons like  an  acid  berry  and  some  want  a  dead 
sweet  one,  while  others  prefer  some  peculiar 
flavour  like  that  of  the  old  French  Haut- 
bois  or  Alpine.  *  Every  one  to  his  own  taste,' 
but,  whatever  that  is,  the  flavour  must  be 
good  of  its  kind.  As  a  rule,  a  sweet  berry 
with  a  high  flavour  is  preferred.  This  means 
a  proper  mixture  of  sweetness  and  acidity, 
which  is  the  last  analysis  of  the  greatest 
excellence,  whether  in  fruits  or  in  human 
character.  Fortunately  the  strawberry  sea- 
son is  lengthened  by  the  selection  of  early, 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  1 55 

midseason,  and  late  varieties.  It  is  quite 
easy  to  make  these  divisions,  but  it  is  very 
difficult  to  make  a  gradation  of  the  varieties 
constituting  each  division.  A  noted  grower 
was  asked  at  a  convention  whether  a  partic- 
ular variety  was  not  earlier  than  any  others. 
He  replied,  *Yes,  it  may  be  ten  minutes 
earlier.' 

^'  Early, — Excelsior,  Michel's  Early,  John- 
son's Early,  and  Climax  are  among  the  ear- 
liest varieties,  and  under  the  ten-minute 
schedule  they  ripen  in  the  order  named. 
The  Excelsior  is  a  seedling  of  the  old  Wilson's 
Albany,  and  has  many  of  the  good  qualtities 
of  its  parent,  but  it  has  unduly  developed  its 
degree  of  acidity,  and  we  have  discarded  it 
on  that  account.  No  one  wants  to  squeal 
when  eating  a  strawberry.  But  its  colour  is 
very  fine,  and  no  variety  is  better  for  canning, 
the  colour  of  the  preserved  fruit  being  superb. 
Michel's  Early  is  an  old  reliable  berry, 
pleasing  in  colour  and  quality.  The  berries 
are  rather  undersized  and  the  plant  is  not  a 
heavy  yielder.  Johnson's  Early  is  an  im- 
provement on  Michel's.  Climax  is  a  newer 
variety,  with  vigorous  plants  and  fruit  of 
high  quality  and  beautiful  appearance. 


156       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

^'  Midseason, — The  midseason  varieties  are 
almost  numberless.  The  Cumberland  is 
valuable.  It  is  very  sweet,  having  so  little 
acidity  that  invalids,  and  those  who  cannot 
take  acid  fruit,  may  eat  it  with  impunity. 
William  Belt  is  good,  with  a  glossy  red  colour 
and  fine  flavour.  Nick  Ohmer  is  large  in 
size,  of  high  quality  and  beautiful  colour; 
its  foliage  is  very  handsome.  Among  the 
later  of  the  midseason  sorts  is  the  Brandy- 
wine,  with  an  established  reputation.  The 
plants  are  about  perfect  in  character,  and  are 
uniformly  good  bearers  in  almost  every  soil. 
It  holds  its  fruit  well  from  the  ground;  the 
berries  are  large,  of  fine  flavour  and  good 
colour.  If  we  could  have  but  one  variety 
it  would  unquestionably  be  the  Brandywine. 

"Among  the  well-known  midseason  ber- 
ries are  some  which  the  home  gardener  had 
better  avoid.  The  old  Sharpless  is  one  of 
these,  being  ill  shaped,  often  coxcombed, 
and  ripens  with  a  white  tip  which  condemns 
any  sort.  Another  is  the  much  recom- 
mended Glen  Mary,  which  is  too  large  in 
size  for  beauty  or  excellence,  is  ill  shaped, 
and  also  ripens  with  a  white  tip. 

"  Late, — In  the  late  varieties  we  find  the 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  1 57 

greatest  excellence  of  flavour.  In  the  North, 
where  there  happens  to  be  limited  space, 
so  that  there  is  not  room  for  many  sorts,  it 
is  well  to  purchase  the  early  supply  for  the 
family  and  devote  all  the  energies  to  the 
superb  later  kinds.  First  among  these  we 
place  the  Marshall.  It  is  the  gentleman's 
berry.  It  is  not  so  prolific  as  the  Brandy- 
wine  and  some  others,  but  it  fully  makes  up 
for  this  in  other  qualities.  The  plants  are 
good;  the  berries  are  large  and  well  shaped; 
the  colour  is  very  dark  and  rich,  and  the 
same  all  through  the  flesh;  the  consistency 
is  about  perfect,  and  the  flavour  seems  to 
suit  every  taste.  Every  family  should  grow 
the  Marshall.  Upon  clay  soils  the  Gandy 
is  very  valuable;  the  plants  are  fine;  it  is  a 
good  bearer  and  the  colour  is  very  bright  and 
pleasing.  The  flesh  is  a  trifle  too  firm  for  a 
perfect  family  berry.  This  variety  should  not 
be  used  the  day  it  is  picked.  If  placed  in  a 
room  of  moderate  temperature  for  twenty- 
four  hours  its  flavour  becomes  properly 
developed  and  its  quality  greatly  improved. 
The  Rough  Rider  is  a  vigorous  late  sort  of 
real  excellence.  The  berries  are  a  bright 
glossy  red,  of  good  form  and  good  quality. 


158        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Few  of  the  late  varieties  have  given  us  more 
satisfaction  than  Midnight.  It  is  extra 
large,  extra  handsome  and  extra  good.  At 
our  family  table  it  is  asked  for  in  preference 
to  most  others.  All  the  varieties  here 
mentioned  have  perfect  flowers,  and,  there- 
fore, are  self-fertilizing. 

HOW   TO    GROW   THEM 

"While  some  varieties  do  best  on  a  sandy 
soil,  and  others  on  a  clay,  nearly  all  of  them 
will  succeed  upon  an  ordinary  loam,  whether 
light  or  heavy.  Where  various  soils  are 
at  commend  it  is  well  to  plant  the  different 
varieties  where  they  will  do  the  best;  and  as 
a  rule  the  early  varieties  will  be  most  satis- 
factory on  sandy  soil.  The  soil  should  be 
rich  and  the  cultivation  deep  and  thorough. 
The  question  of  manure  depends  entirely 
upon  the  richness  of  the  soil.  Where  the  soil 
is  poor  well-rotted  manure  should  be  used 
in  sufficient  quantities  to  supply  an  abun- 
dance of  plant  food.  Where  artificial  ma- 
nures are  used  it  is  well  to  remember  that  for 
the  weaker-growing  varieties  nitrogen  should 
be  given,  say,  in  the  form  of  nitrate  of  soda. 
But  this  should  not  be  used  for  the  strong- 


STRAWBERRIES    FOR   THE    HOME  1 59 

growing  sorts.  Potash  heightens  the  colour 
of  the  fruit,  and  generally  adds  to  its  flavour. 
Wood  ashes  is  the  best  means  of  supplying 
potash.  A  light  dressing  of  Peruvian  guano 
is  a  good  general-purpose  fertilizer. 

^'For  a  complete  fertilizer  for  strawberries, 
nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  and  potash  in  the 
ratio  of  3,  7,  and  9  per  cent,  is  recommended, 
or  nitrate  of  soda,  150  pounds,  bone  meal,  550 
pounds,  wood  ashes,  1,400  pounds  to  the  acre. 

"The  matted-row  system  involves  less 
labour  than  hills,  gives  a  great  yield  of  ber- 
ries, without  the  fine  development  of  the  hill 
system.  The  plants  are  set  two  feet  apart, 
with  five  feet  between  the  rows.  The  run- 
ners are  allowed  to  cover  the  ground,  being 
assisted  in  proper  distribution  by  being 
placed  in  the  vacancies  by  hand.  These 
plants  cover  one  or  two  feet  in  width,  the 
remaining  space  between  the  rows  being  well 
cultivated.  Where  plants  are  set  too  thickly 
they  are  removed  with  a  pointed  hoe.  The 
next  season  before  fruiting  the  ground  be- 
tween the  rows  should  be  well  mulched  with 
litter. 

"With  either  system  it  is  well  to  cover  the 
plants    lightly    with    stable    litter    early    in 


l6o        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

winter  after  the  ground  becomes  frozen.  In- 
jury from  mould  may  result  if  the  covering  is 
applied  too  early.  Fall  planting  is  not  a  suc- 
cess as  a  general  rule,  especially  on  heavy 
soils.  Spring  is  the  best  time  to  plant,  and 
don't  let  the  plants  bear  a  crop  the  first 
year  if  you  want  the  best  possible  results 
from  them.  Concentrate  all  the  force  in 
the  second  year  and  then  clear  oil  the  bed." 


Berr 


IN  THE  HOME  GARDEN 

ies  gathered  fresh  from  the  plot  in  the  backyard  have   a  quality  unattain- 
able in  the  market 


THE  ALPINE  STRAWBERRY 

This  has  a  high  flavour.      Berries  f  to  i  inch  long  produced  all 
through  the  season.     Best  fruit  from  seeds 


CHAPTER  XIII 
Alpine  Strawberries 

Some  interest  among  home  growers  of 
strawberries  has  been  manifested  in  the  grow- 
ing of  the  Alpines.  This  is  especially  true  in 
the  case  of  those  who  have  journeyed  to  con- 
tinental Europe  and  to  England.  In  the 
markets  of  Paris,  London,  Liverpool,  and 
other  smaller  cities  and  towns,  strawberries 
resembling  our  native  wild  berries  but  larger 
in  size  are  served  in  the  hotels  and  restau- 
rants, and  from  their  very  pleasing  taste 
they  have  caused  many  people  in  returning 
to  this  country  to  try  the  growing  of  this  so- 
called  Alpine  or  perpetual  strawberry. 

In  Fuller's  classic  "The  Strawberry  Cul- 
turist,"  is  an  interesting  account  of  this  berry 
which  is  here  quoted: 

"The  Alpine  strawberry  {Fragaria  vescd)  is 
noted  for  its  delicious  perfume  and  its  very 
mild  flavour.  None  of  the  varieties  yield 
very  large  berries.     However,  they  are  quite 

i6i 


1 62        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

prolific,  thriving  in  positions  which  are  ex- 
posed to  the  cold,  where,  if  other  varieties  or 
species  were  subject  to  the  same  conditions, 
they  would  die.  In  Europe  there  are  a  large 
number  of  varieties  in  cultivation.  Euro- 
pean nurserymen  in  their  catalogues  quote 
or  give  prices  on  many  of  these  strawberries 
which  may  be  grown  as  a  specialty.  How- 
ever, the  names  used  in  these  catalogues  are, 
in  most  cases,  nothing  more  than  synonyms; 
and  by  reducing  these  to  possible  distinct 
varieties  of  this  species  in  Europe,  it  would 
probably  not  exceed  a  dozen  really  distinct 
varieties.  In  these  European  countries, 
however,  there  are  four  really  distinct  vari- 
eties, all  of  which  have  been  under  culti- 
vation there  and  have  been  known  for  a 
long  time  in  this  country.  The  first  of 
these  is  the  Red  Bush  Alpine.  This,  as  the 
name  implies,  produces  no  runners,  and 
therefore  must  be  propagated  by  divisions. 
This  plant  is  an  ever-bearer,  generally  pro- 
ducing from  June  until  checked  by  frost  in 
autumn.  In  exceedingly  rich  soil  it  is  pos- 
sible for  this  plant  to  yield  well  throughout 
the  entire  season.  The  fruit  is  medium  size, 
conical  in  shape,  a  bright  red  colour,  seeds 


ALPINE    STRAWBERRIES  163 

quite' prominent,  not  sunken  as  is  usual  in 
the  common  strawberry,  of  very  mild  flavour 
with  a  delicate  perfume.  The  second  variety 
is  the  White  Bush  Alpine.  Excepting  the 
colour  of  the  fruit,  which  is  pure  white,  it  has 
every  characteristic  of  the  previously  de- 
scribed variety.  The  third  variety  is  the 
Red  Monthly  Alpine.  This  plant  produces 
runners  quite  freely.  The  new  plants  pro- 
duced on  these  runners  will  bloom  and  bear 
throughout  the  first  season.  In  this  way  it 
is  possible  to  keep  up  a  succession  of  straw- 
berries from  June  until  the  fall.  The  fruit 
is  very  similar  to  the  Bush  Alpines.  How- 
ever, it  is  a  little  larger.  The  fourth  variety 
is  the  White  Monthly  Alpine.  There  is  very 
little  difference  between  this  variety  and  the 
Red  Monthly,  except  that  the  fruit  of  this 
is  pure  white  in  colour.  The  great  value  of 
this  strawberry  is  for  a  conservatory  plant 
where  the  runners  make  a  very  desirable  pot- 
ted plant,  trailing  over  wire  screens  or  hang- 
ing from  baskets  or  boxes  in  the  window 
garden." 

In  The  Garden  Magazine,  May,  191 1,  Mr. 
H.  S.  Adams  writes  appreciatively  of  this 
same  type  of  strawberry  as  follows: 


164       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

"It  was  within  a  week  of  the  close  of  July 
last  year  when  I  came  upon  a  large  bed  of 
these  berries.  I  was  on  a  flower  quest  that 
hot  and  sultry  day,  and  I  confess  that  the 
last  thing  I  expected  to  be  offered  was  straw- 
berries. But  I  was  offered  some,  right  from 
the  plants,  and  ate  thereof  with  a  satisfac- 
tion that  was  a  satisfaction. 

"Then  I  began  asking  many  questions;  I 
ascertained,  first  of  all,  that  these  long  rows 
of  very  flourishing  strawberry  plants,  with  a 
considerable  amount  of  ripe  and  ripening 
fruit  on  them,  were  all  seedlings.  The  seed 
had  been  picked  in  Switzerland  by  the  grower, 
from  plants  of  the  ^Quatre  Saisons'  type. 
This  is  the  small  strawberry  that  is  so  abun- 
dant in  Paris,  where  it  is  no  uncommon 
sight  to  see  the  little  hand-carts  of  street 
vendors  piled  high  with  the  much  admired 
fruit.  It  is  simply  one  of  the  Alpine  varie- 
ties bred  up  in  size  and  general  perfection. 

"I  found  also  that  from  this  patch  of 
'Four'Seasons'  the  family  had  been  kept  fully 
supplied  with  fruit  all  through  July  —  the 
Alpines  coming  in  when  the  ordinary  garden 
berries  gave  out.  The  fruit,  which  is  a  sort 
of   glorified   edition   of   the   American   wild 


ALPINE    STRAWBERRIES  165 

Strawberry,  has  the  same  concentrated 
sweetness,  but  more  of  it.  Being  different 
from  the  ordinary  cultivated  strawberry,  it 
has  the  advantage  of  coming  to  the  table 
with  a  note  of  freshness  —  inaugurating  a 
little  season  of  its  own  rather  than  extend- 
ing a  season  already,  perhaps,  beginning  to 
pall  on  the  appetite. 

"The  plants,  which  run  about  eight  inches 
high,  began  to  bear  last  year  on  the  23d  of 
June,  and  were  picked  for  the  table  every 
day  for  four  weeks.  So  that,  if  they  are  not 
strawberries  of  *four  seasons'  literally,  they 
have  an  unusually  long  fruiting  period. 
They  are  very  prolific,  and  very  hardy.  In 
short,  they  seem  to  have  everything  to  recom- 
mend them  to  the  average  home  garden, 
with  nothing  to  be  said  adversely. 

"This  strawberry  is  grown  in  somewhat 
lighter  soil  than  the  ordinary  kind.  Plenty 
of  manure  is  used  when  the  plants  are  first 
set  out,  and  then  no  more  until  a  new  bed  is 
made.  The  plants  fruit  the  first  year,  but 
much  better  the  second.  They  are  good  for 
three  years.  By  setting  out  runners  every 
year,  after  the  first,  a  complete  succession 
of  prime  bearing  plants  is  insured. 


1 66        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

"While  seed  may  be  used  to  get  a  stock  of 
plants  started,  runners  are  a  better  means  of 
perpetuation  after  that.  Sow  seed  in  early 
spring.  With  the  American  winter  as  it  is, 
very  little  is  gained  by  autumn  sowing,  and 
always  there  is  danger  of  mice  injuring  the 
plants.  In  either  case  the  seed  should  be 
sown  in  a  coldframe;  but  it  may  be  sown 
outdoors  in  well-pulverized  soil  in  April  or 
May.  Sow  in  a  greenhouse  in  January. 
There  are  some  varieties  of  Alpine  straw- 
berries that  have  no  runners;  these  must  be 
perpetuated  by  dividing  the  plants  or  by 
seed. 

"Of  the 'Quatre  Saisons '  type  alone  there 
are  several  varieties.  In  the  experience  of 
the  grower  of  the  strawberries  referred  to, 
these  are  the  best  of  them  at  one  time  or 
another.  They  are  the  most  reliable,  and 
that  is  the  main  point. 

"One  of  the  finest  of  the  improved  *Four 
Seasons'  type  is,  he  says,  the  Louis  Gauthier 
—  now  popular  in  France.  It  is  large, 
whitish,  and  very  sweet.  There  are  some 
Alpines  very  rich  in  flavour,  actually  white 
rather  than  merely  whitish,  and  they  are 
quite  as  easily  grown. 


ALPINE    STRAWBERRIES  1 67 

"After  a  trial  in  both  the  Berkshires  and 
central  Connecticut,  the  grower  mentioned 
(Mr.  J.  F.  Huss)  has  abandoned  the  variety 
known  at  St.  Joseph.  It  has  fine  fruit  but 
—  for  his  use;  others  may  do  better  with  it  — 
he  says  that  it  does  not  bear  abundantly 
enough  to  warrant  the  time  and  space  given 
to  it.  This  early  variety  is  between  the 
Alpine  and  garden  types  and  is,  I  understand, 
synonymous  with  Fragaria  ruhicunda.  It 
is  practically  perpetual,  fruiting  from  June 
to  September  when  the  conditions  are  ideal. 
An  improvement  on  it  is  called  St.  Antoine 
de  Padoue.  It  has  a  musky  flavour,  and  some 
do  not  care  for  it  on  that  account.  In  Eng- 
land Belle  de  la  Perrandiere  is  very  highly 
recommended  by  one  of  the  best  authorities. 
It  is  an  Alpine  and  there  fruits  in  September. 

"The  St.  Joseph  and  the  St.  Antoine  de 
Padoue  are  sold  in  this  country,  each  with 
the  claim  that  it  bears  fruit  of  fine  flavour, 
colour,  and  size,  and  in  abundance.  Two 
other  varieties  offered  are  Leon  XIII  and  La 
Constante.  They  cost  more  than  the  ordi- 
nary garden  berry  —  one  dollar  a  dozen. 
Seed  of  the  ordinary  'Red  Alpine'  straw- 
berry is  quoted  at  ten  cents  a  package. 


1 68        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

"Alpine  strawberries  ordinarily  ought  to 
be  sweet  enough  to  eat  without  sugar.  If 
anything  is  put  on  them,  it  would  better  be 
a  little  claret." 

In  selecting  berries  for  seed  planting,  they 
should  be  allowed  to  get  fully  ripe  before 
they  are  gathered.  On  picking  them,  they 
should  be  crushed,  and  thoroughly  mixed 
with  forty  to  fifty  times  their  bulk  of  clean, 
dry  sand.  This  sand  will  have  a  tendency  to 
separate  the  seeds  and  also  absorb  the  juice 
of  the  fruit.  A  fiat  of  moist,  sharp  sand 
should  be  ready  and  the  seeds  with  the  sand 
should  be  planted  in  shallow  furrows  or 
sprinkled  over  the  surface  and  lightly  raked 
in.  The  flat  is  then  thoroughly  watered  and 
placed  below  the  bench  in  the  greenhouse  or 
in  the  propagating  house,  hotbed,  coldframe 
or  any  suitable  place  of  this  kind. 

If  the  planting  be  made  in  the  middle 
of  July,  young  plants  may  be  expected  to 
appear  during  the  first  week  in  August,  if 
the  sashes  have  been  kept  closed  and  the 
soil  well  wetted  every  day.  As  soon  as  the 
young  plants  appear  in  numbers  they  should 
be  shaded.  This  is  best  done  by  whitening 
the  glass.     The  frames  may  then  be  kept 


ALPINE    STRAWBERRIES  169 

closed  a  good  part  of  the  time,  and  the  seed- 
lings will  grow  so  vigorously  that  they  will 
bear  transplanting  in  a  few  weeks  to  the  bed 
where  they  are  to  remain  and  fruit.  This 
method  is  well  adapted  for  bringing  seedling 
vines  into  bearing  in  the  shortest  possible 
time,  as  they  get  a  very  strong  growth  the 
first  year. 

The  seedlings  should  be  transplanted  into 
beds  of  rich  earth,  encouraged  to  make  stout, 
stocky  plants,  and  to  this  end  they  should 
not  be  allowed  to  make  more  than  one  or  at 
most  two  runners. 

The  seedlings  may  be  set  in  the  bed  where 
they  are  to  fruit,  in  rows  two  feet  apart, 
with  the  plants  eighteen  inches  asunder  in  the 
rows.  If  space  is  limited,  the  rows  may  be 
narrowed  six  inches,  and  the  plants  brought 
six  inches  nearer  each  other  in  the  rows.  If 
one  or  two  runners  are  allowed  to  grow,  they 
should  be  made  to  take  root  close  to  the 
parent  plant. 

The  propagation  of  Bush  Alpine  is  by 
division,  as  they  do  not  produce  runners. 
To  propagate  these  varieties  the  old  stools 
should  be  lifted  early  in  spring  and  divided, 
leaving  only  one  or  two  crowns  to  a  plant. 


170       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

If  the  old  or  central  stems  are  very  long,  the 
lower  or  older  part  may  be  cut  away,  leaving 
only  the  upper  and  younger  roots  attached. 
In  setting  out  again,  the  crown  of  the  plant 
should  be  just  level  with  the  surface  of  the 
soil  in  order  that  new  lateral  roots  may  spring 
out  above  the  old  ones  on  the  central  stalk 
or  stem. 

Monthly  Alpines  are  very  valuable  for 
forcing,  as  they  will  thrive  in  a  lower  tem- 
perature than  those  of  other  species,  and, 
with  ordinary  care,  will  continue  to  bloom 
and  bear  fruit  all  the  year  round.  Fruit  is 
not  produced  in  any  great  abundance  at 
any  one  season,  but,  the  crop  being  a  con- 
tinuous one,  it  amounts  to  a  pretty  fair 
quantity  during  the  year.  As  an  ornamental 
window  or  greenhouse  plant  there  are  very 
few  bearing  edible  fruit  worthy  of  more  care 
or  attention  than  the  Monthly  Alpine  straw- 
berry. 

This  Alpine  type  of  strawberry  should  be 
encouraged  among  those  who  have  the  taste, 
capital  or  time,  and  the  inclination.  It  is 
a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  larger  field  of 
strawberry  raising. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
Fall-bearing  Strawberries 

The  recent  development  of  a  group  of 
varieties  that  would  yield  ripe  fruits  in  the 
fall  was  looked  upon  with  much  interest  by 
many  admirers  of  the  strawberry  who  saw 
great  possibilities  in  their  successful  culti- 
vation. Naturally  the  question  is  asked: 
Are  these  different  from  ordinary  kinds  or 
is  this  a  new  type  of  strawberry?  The  only 
difference  noted  between  the  common  and 
fall-bearing  kinds  is  that  the  latter  have 
the  characteristic  of  seemingly  continu- 
ous bearing,  or  blossoming  from  May  until 
the  end  of  the  growing  period  of  the  year. 
If  the  blossoms  that  first  set  are  picked 
from  fall-bearing  varieties,  another  lot  of 
blossoms  will  be  produced  in  a  few  weeks. 
Continuing  this  method,  blossoms  will  be 
borne  as  long  as  the  growing  period  of  the 
year  permits.  With  the  ordinary  berries, 
171 


172        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

it  is  very  unlikely  that  other  flowers  will 
appear  later,  if  the  first  lot  is  picked. 

These  berries  are  practically  a  new  race 
or  type,  the  first  of  which,  named  Pan- 
American,  originated  on  a  farm  in  Catta- 
raugus County,  New  York,  Mr.  Samuel 
Cooper  being  the  discoverer.  While  examin- 
ing his  beds  of  strawberries,  in  1898,  he  was 
attracted  by  a  parent  plant  and  several 
young  runner  plants  which  were  producing 
at  this  late  season  both  blossoms  and  fruit. 
Mr.  Cooper  is  not  able  to  account  for  the 
freak  o'  nature.  The  parent  plant,  however, 
was  in  with  a  lot  of  Bismark  plants,  and  is 
undoubtedly  a  sport  of  this  variety,  as  the 
Pan-American  has  a  great  many  of  the 
characteristics  of  this  parent. 

Mr.  Cooper,  by  the  sowing  of  the  seed  of 
the  Pan-American,  was  able  to  produce 
other  varieties.  The  first  seedling  of  value, 
although  not  of  much  more  value  than  the 
Pan-American,  was  the  Autumn,  a  pistillate 
variety.  It  was  possible  by  using  the  former 
(which  has  perfect  blossoms)  and  the  latter 
to  crossbreed  and  obtain  varieties  that  were 
of  more  value.  The  results  are  seen  in 
Productive  and   Superb,  two  berries  which 


FALL-BEARING    STRAWBERRIES  1 73 

are  a  great  improvement  over  their  parents. 
It  is  reasonable  to  expect  more  and  improved 
varieties  from  Mr.  Cooper's  valuable  experi- 
ence. 

Besides  Mr.  Cooper,  several  others  are 
working  on  these  fall-bearing  varieties. 
Mr.  Louis  Huback  of  Arkansas;  Mr.  Edwin 
H.  Riehl  of  Illinois;  Mr.  L.  J.  Farmer  of 
Pulaski,  N.  Y.,  and  others  have  been  experi- 
menting and  raising  seedlings.  Mr.  Harlow 
Rockhill,  however,  is  perhaps  the  man  that 
has  secured  the  most  marked  practical  results. 
Two  of  the  best  of  his  seedlings,  Francis  and 
Americus,  have  proved  remarkably  success- 
ful. They  are  a  decided  advance  over  all 
former  fall-bearing  varieties. 

NEW    VARIETIES 

New  varieties  are  obtained  as  described 
in  the  chapter  on  "Breeding."  The  method 
used  by  Mr.  Cooper  in  raising  his  new  varie- 
ties may  be  of  interest: 

He  first  makes  the  crosses,  then  gathers 
the  fruit  when  fully  ripe  and  mushes  it  to 
a  pulp  and  mixes  with  sand.  A  smooth  piece 
of  soil  is  selected  in  the  garden,  and  the  seeds 
sown  there  in  July  or  early  in  the  fall.     They 


174        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

are  gently  stirred  into  the  soil  with  a  garden 
rake.  A  wide  board  is  laid  over  the  place 
where  the  seeds  are  sown,  and  left  on  until 
spring.  Some  of  the  seedlings  will  show 
in  the  fall,  but  most  of  them  will  not  come 
up  until  spring.  The  board  is  put  on  to 
keep  the  weeds  from  growing  and  the  seeds 
moist  so  they  will  sprout.  Of  course  the 
board  is  removed  in  the  spring.  The  young 
seedlings  will  come  up  very  thickly  and 
will  have  to  be  separated  and  given  more 
room.  It  may  be  necessary  to  transplant 
them  several  times.  Finally,  they  are  set 
out  the  usual  distance  in  the  field  and  allowed 
to  grow  and  fruit.  Some  of  them  will  show 
fruit  the  first  year,  but  most  of  [them  will 
have  to  be  carried  over  until  the  following 
season. 

After  the  seedlings  are  produced,  they 
need  to  be  fruited  and  selected  for  ad- 
vancement. This  judging  of  improvement 
in  new  varieties  requires  great  skill,  and 
that  is   the  result  of  experience. 

SOIL 

The  best  soil  in  the  garden  should  be 
selected  for  the  fall  berries.     There  should 


FALL-BEARING    STRAWBERRIES  I75 

be  plenty  of  humus  in  this  soil,  and  enough 
plant  food  to  grow  the  plants  properly  as 
well  as  to  produce  a  full  crop  of  juicy  fruit. 
It  is  of  particular  importance  that  the  ques- 
tion of  moisture  have  very  careful  con- 
sideration, as  at  the  season  of  this  plant's 
blossoming  and  subsequent  fruiting  it  is  oft- 
times  quite  dry.  If  necessary,  some  form  of 
irrigation,  as  spoken  of  in  another  chapter, 
should  be  practised. 

PLANTING 

The  planting  of  the  fall-bearing  straw- 
berries does  not  differ  materially  from  that 
of  the  more  common  varieties.  Being, 
however,  a  newer  type,  and  in  some  cases 
a  test  or  experiment,  it  is  advisable  to 
start  carefully,  and  to  follow  a  somewhat  in- 
tensive system  of  planting,  such  as  the  single 
or  double  hedge-row  method.  These  methods 
are  also  suitable  as  these  fall  varieties  do 
not  have  a  tendency  to  produce  many  plants. 

CULTURAL  METHODS 

Clean  culture  and  intensive  work,  the 
methods  considered  in  another  chapter, 
should  be  the  system  employed  with  these 


176        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

varieties  of  strawberry  plants  for  the  best 
results.  Mulching  with  straw  should  be 
practised  during  the  winter.  The  blossoms 
have  to  be  picked  from  the  plants  every  two 
or  three  weeks  up  to  the  first  of  August, 
then  they  are  allowed  to  produce  fruit. 
September  ist,  or  thereabout,  should  be 
the  date  when  mature,  edible  berries  are 
ready  for  picking.  This  picking  should  be 
looked  after  quite  carefully,  as  sometimes 
it  becomes  necessary  to  pick  the  fruits  before 
they  have  coloured  up  much,  or  they  will  rot 
on  the  plant.  The  first  berries,  owing  to 
the  greater  amount  of  sunlight,  will  have 
better  colour  and  correspondingly  better 
flavour.  Later,  owing  to  the  cold  weather, 
and  the  lack  of  sunlight,  the  flavour  and 
colour  will  be  less  satisfactory.  If  the 
fruit  is  produced  for  the  markets,  it  should 
be  very  carefully  sorted  and  graded,  in  order 
to  receive  the  highest  price  paid  for  this 
out-of-season  product. 

YIELDS 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  there  are  no  large 
areas  of  fall  strawberries,  it  is  practically 
impossible   to  give   any  idea   of  just  what 


W  .2 

e  1 

<  o 

I— (  <j 

y  ^ 

Pi  ^ 

W  c 

o  ^ 


V 

is 


FALL-BEARING    STRAWBERRIES  I77 

the  yield  should  be.  Perhaps  if  the  suburb- 
anite or  farmer  had  fifty  plants  in  his  garden 
he  might  have  reason  to  expect  twelve  to 
fifteen  quarts  of  fall  berries,  in  some  cases 
more,  and,  under  other  circumstances,  less. 
These  berries  would  sell  at  this  time  for  at 
least  25  cents  per  quart,  and  if  properly 
graded  more  would  be  paid.  It  would  be 
natural  to  expect  a  high  price  for  the  product, 
not  only  because  it  is  out  of  season,  but 
because  the  production  of  the  fruit  costs 
more,  as  there  is  the  increased  expense 
over  the  ordinary  growing  of  strawberries 
of  picking  off  the  blossoms,  and,  perhaps, 
better  cultural  methods.  However,  there 
is  one  advantage  that  would  have  a  tendency 
to  counterbalance  the  above  —  i.  e.,  it  is 
possible  to  plant  fall-bearing  strawberry 
plants  early  in  the  spring,  and,  by  the  best 
of  care,  fertilizer,  water,  etc.,  to  produce 
fruit  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year^  thereby 
receiving  returns  in  a  shorter  period  than 
from  the  ordinary  sorts. 

It  is  not  advisable  for  people  blindly  to  buy 
or  invest  large  sums  in  these  fall  berries; 
the  best  plan  being  to  try  a  few  and  find  out 
their   peculiarities,   then    increase    the    area 


178        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

only  if  the  demand  warrants  it.  The  farmer 
or  suburbanite,  however,  can  add  much  to 
the  enjoyment  of  living  by  trying  out  a  few 
of  these  varieties,  and  having  the  fresh  prod- 
ucts for  his  own  use  in  the  **out-of-straw- 
berry"  season. 


CHAPTER  XV 
What  Is   the  American  Strawberry? 

The  strawberry  has  only  received  much 
attention  during  the  last  seventy-five  or  one 
hundred  years.  The  first  variety  of  which 
we  have  any  account  is  the  Fressant,  which 
dates  from  1660.  There  are  but  few  wild 
species  of  strawberries,  and  only  some  few  of 
these  ten  or  twelve  species  have  been  brought 
into  cultivation. 

The  European  common  wild  strawberry 
includes  both  the  Annual  and  Monthly 
Alpines,  as  well  as  the  White  and  Red  Wood 
strawberries.  The  former  are  indigenous  to 
North  America,  being  found  quite  plenti- 
fully from  the  east  northern  states,  also 
westward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where 
they  grow  in  the  cooler  regions  and  on  the 
more  elevated  places.  These  Alpines  do 
not  produce  runners  to  any  extent,  but  grow 
in  stools  or  clumps.  The  fruit  produced 
179 


l8o        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

is  small,  oblong  or  sharp-pointed,  having 
varieties  that  are  either  red  or  white.  The 
plants  are  thin  and  very  slender,  with  leaflets 
of  a  pale-green  colour.  This  was  of  the 
type  of  our  first  strawberries  quite  similar  to 
the  Fressant. 

These  European  types,  which  are  grown 
in  some  parts  of  continental  Europe,  especi- 
ally in  France  and  Switzerland,  are,  however, 
in  England  and  America,  but  little  more  than 
rarities  or  curiosities.  This  being  the  case, 
it  is  more  desirable  to  direct  attention  to  the 
class  of  large  American  and  European  straw- 
berries. This  latter  type,  although  profit- 
ably grown  in  all  temperate  countries,  seems 
to  have  come  to  great  prominence  first  in 
England,  where  considerable  experimenting 
was  done.  It  is  furthermore  the  only  Ameri- 
can market  strawberry. 

The  common  small  species  of  eastern 
America,  which  is  known  to  botanists  as 
Fragaria  Firginiana,  was  the  first  foreign 
strawberry  to  reach  Europe.  Mention,  as 
well  as  the  first  distinct  record  of  this  event, 
was  made  in  1624  by  Jean  and  Vespasian 
Robin,  who  were  at  that  time  gardeners  to 
Louis  XIII.     No  new  or  striking  forms  were 


THE   AMERICAN    STRAWBERRY  I«I 

taken  by  this  strawberry  during  the  following 
one  hundred  years.  From  the  description, 
that  it  bore  small,  bright  scarlet  berries, 
with  a  distinct  neck  or  constricted  area  near 
the  stem  and  more  or  less  slightly  acid  flesh, 
it  is  probable  that  it  was  not  very  different 
from  the  common  wild  strawberries  which 
are  found  in  the  fields  of  the  Northeastern 
States.  This  berry  met  with  great  favour 
in  England,  but  on  the  continent  it  was  not 
considered  of  any  value. 

About  1712  a  second  species  of  strawberry 
reached  Europe.  Captain  Frezier  brought 
from  Chile  to  Marseilles  a  strawberry  that 
is  named  botanically  Fragaria  Chilcensis. 
It  was  not  until  1724  that  this  fruit  reached 
England.  This  plant,  which  is  a  shaggy, 
thick-leaved,  stout  individual,  bearing  large, 
dark-coloured,  somewhat  pointed,  globular 
fruit  late  in  the  season,  did  not  meet 
with  great  favour,  particularly  so  as  the 
flowers  were  often  imperfect,  thereby  lacking 
the  self-pollinating  benefits.  However,  in 
a  few  places,  especially  at  Brest  in  France, 
it  was  after  a  time  grown  and  cultivated 
for  its  fruit. 

Barnet  in  writing  about  this  berry  a  hun- 


1 82        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

dred  years  later  knew  of  but  three  varieties 
in  England  that  he  could  in  any  way  refer 
to  it.  One  of  these  three,  he  considered, 
had  not  changed  from  the  original  plant  as 
brought  from  Chile  by  Frezier.  In  fact,  at 
this  date  it  seemed  to  be  very  little  cultivated. 

This  species,  which  grows  wild  along  the 
Pacific  Coast  in  both  South  and  North 
America,  has  been  introduced  from  these 
sources  into  the  gardens  of  the  eastern 
United  States  several  times.  However,  it 
has  very  soon  disappeared. 

The  fact  then  presents  itself  that  there  is 
very  little  of  promise  in  the  record  of  this 
species  for  the  horticulturist  of  this  country. 

Between  the  years  1750  and  1760,  or 
thereabout,  a  third  strawberry  appeared 
in  Europe.  The  exact  date  of  its  intro- 
duction is  not  known,  contrary  to  the  opinion 
of  many  writers.  Philip  Miller  in  1760 
describes  it  as  the  Pine  strawberry,  referring, 
no  doubt,  to  the  pineapple  fragrance  of  its 
fruit. 

Three  distinct  reports  as  to  its  origin  were 
in  circulation;  the  first  gave  Surinam,  which 
is  now  on  the  coast  of  Dutch  Guiana,  as  its 
home.     This    opinion    was    one    that    came 


THE   AMERICAN    STRAWBERRY  1 83 

from  Holland.  Another  report  gave  credit 
to  Virginia,  and  still  another  claimed  that 
it  came  from  Louisiana.  Not  one  of  these 
reports  has  been  either  corroborated  or  con- 
futed. 

Upon  comparing  the  Pineapple  straw- 
berries of  England  and  France,  they  were 
found  to  be  different  from  each  other.  The 
difference  was  not  greatly  marked,  and  the 
majority  of  botanists  In  a  few  years  came 
to  regard  the  two  as  variations  such  as 
might  arise  within  the  limits  of  one  stock 
or  type. 

This  type  of  Pine  strawberry  has  been 
known  for  over  a  century  as  Fragaria  gran- 
diflora,  although  this  name,  which  was  given 
it  by  Ehrhart  in  1792,  together  with  the 
English  name  Pine,  is  fast  passing  out  of  use. 
Duchesne  established  It  in  a  distinct  species, 
named  Fragaria  calyculata.  This  species  was 
represented  by  the  Bath  Scarlet,  a  large 
hulled  type. 

Besides  the  above  three  theories  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  Pine  strawberry,  there  are  at 
least  two  other  hypotheses  that  must  be 
taken  into  consideration.  One  has  the 
acknowledged  certification  of  Duhamel,  De 


184        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

Candolle,  and  Guy,  that  it  is  an  absolute 
modification  of  the  Chilean  strawberry. 
The  other  was  brought  forth  by  Decaisne, 
and  quite  readily  accepted  by  others,  that 
some,  at  least,  of  the  varieties  of  this  straw- 
berry are  the  offspring  or  variations  of  the 
large,  robust  native  form  of  the  species 
Fragaria  Firgi7iiana,  var.  Illincensis,  our  wild 
strawberry. 

We  must,  however,  determine  from  what 
progenitor  type  our  cultivated  strawberries 
have  sprung.  In  1824,  according  to  the 
writings  of  Barnet,  he  divides  all  cultivated 
strawberries  into  seven  classes.  The  first  (i) 
of  these  is  the  Scarlet  or  Virginian  strawberry 
with  twenty-six  varieties;  the  second  (2)  is 
Duchesne's  Fragaria  tincta  or  black  straw- 
berry, with  five  varieties;  third  (3),  the  Pines 
orPineapple  strawberry,  with  fifteen  varieties; 
fourth  (4),  the  True  Chile  strawberry,  with 
three  varieties.  The  remaining  three  classes 
comprise  the  small  European  varieties.  These 
latter  will  not  be  considered,  as  they  are 
outside  of  the  question.  It  is  possible  to 
class  the  Blacks  and  Pines  as  one,  owing 
to  their  being  so  much  alike.  This  last 
class,   although   the  youngest,   had   already 


THE    AMERICAN    STRAWBERRY  1 85 

varied  into  more  than  twenty  forms,  many  of 
which  were  the  choice  of  all  the  varieties.  One 
of  these,  in  the  extra  choice  class,  was  Keen's 
Seedling,  which  was  at  this  time  just  coming 
into  great  importance.  This  variety  was, 
in  fact,  the  first  worthy  contribution  to  our 
present  commercial  strawberry  culture,  and 
an  epoch  maker.  It  was  produced  from  the 
seed  of  Keen's  Imperial,  this  latter  being 
raised  from  the  White  Carolina,  or  Large 
White  Chile.  Barnet  regards  this  last  as 
a  true  Pine  strawberry. 

The  present  English  strawberries  have  to 
a  great  extent  descended  from  Keen's  Seed- 
ling. In  1 82 1,  at  London,  the  fruit  of  this 
seedling  was  first  shown.  There  were  appar- 
ently few,  if  any,  varieties  in  England  at 
this  time  that  were  of  American  origin. 
In  1828,  Prince  writes,  of  the  thirty  straw- 
berries in  American  gardens,  all  but  one  were 
of  foreign  origin.  The  two  most  important 
varieties,  as  well  as  the  ones  which  supplied 
practically  all  of  the  fruit  sold  in  the  New 
York  market,  were  Red  Chile  (which  is 
classed  by  Barnet  and  Lindley  with  the 
Pines)  and  Early  Hudson  (which  was  un- 
doubtedly a  variety  of  Fragaria  Virginiand). 


1 86        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

Hovey,  as  well  as  other  writers,  claimed  that 
Keen's  berries,  although  on  the  market  list, 
did  not  thrive  well  In  the  United  States. 
Hovey  wrote  in  1837  that  "as  yet  the  plants 
of  nearly  all  the  kinds  In  cultivation  have 
been  Introduced  from  the  English  gardens, 
and  are  not  suited  to  the  severity  of  our 
climate." 

Mr.  Hovey,  who  was  a  very  shrewd  man 
and  a  practical  breeder  of  rare  ability, 
decided  to  produce  a  berry  that  would  be 
satisfactory  in  our  climate.  He  selected 
parents  which  showed  the  best  adaptation 
to  American  conditions,  and  which  repre- 
sented his  distinct  high  ideals. 

By  crossing  two  Pines,  Keen's  Seedling 
and  Mulberry,  also  Melon,  which  was 
undoubtedly  a  Pine,  and  Methven  Scarlet, 
a  variety  of  the  Virginian,  he  was  able  to 
obtain  two  varieties,  which  he  named  Hovey 
and  Boston  Pine.  Mr.  Hovey  lost  his  labels 
on  these  crosses,  and  it  is  not  positive  just 
which  crosses  gave  these  varieties.  However, 
he  was  always  quite  certain  that  the  Hovey 
was  the  result  of  Mulberry  crossed  by  Keen's 
Seedling. 

This    Hovey    strawberry    was    an    epoch 


THE    AMERICAN    STRAWBERRY  1 87 

maker,  just  In  the  same  way  as  was  the  Keen's 
Seedling.  It  practically  marks  the  second 
great  step  In  the  advancement  of  commercial 
strawberry  growing. 

From  this  time  on  new  American  varieties 
began  to  appear,  the  greater  part  of  them 
being  direct  descendants  of  Hovey  and  the 
Boston  Pine.  However,  the  majority  came 
from  the  former.  The  latter  and  Its  Immedi- 
ate offspring  soon  passed  out,  and  to-day  In 
American  strawberry  literature  the  term 
Pine  has  been  practically  lost.  This  Is  not 
because  the  Pine  class  has  become  extinct, 
but,  quite  to  the  contrary,  the  Pine  class 
has  driven  out  all  other  classes,  and  has 
become  the  dominant  one.  The  Hovey  is  a 
fine  example  of  a  true  Pine,  with  its  thick, 
rounded,  dark  leaves,  stocky  habit,  stiff 
flower  cluster,  and  large,  spreading  calyx. 
Practically  all  of  our  commercial  straw- 
berries of  to-day  are  Pines,  and  they  compare 
well  in  botanical  characters  with  the  Impor- 
tant Pines  of  Barnet's  time,  such  as  the  Bath 
Scarlet,  as  well  as  the  Fragaria  grandiflora  of 
the  French  gardens  of  seventy-five  or  one 
hundred  years  ago. 

If  these  things  are  true,  then  our  straw- 


1 88        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

berries  are  lineal  descendants  of  the  botani- 
cally  known  Fragaria  ananassa  and  Fragaria 
grandiflora  or  common  old  Pine  class. 

The  question  now  arises,  "What  is  a  Pine 
strawberry?"  Bailey  in  studies  on  this  sub- 
ject, in  order  to  determine  for  himself,  sent 
to  Oregon  for  wild  plants  of  Fragaria  Chilcen^ 
sis.  These  were  quite  easily  distinguished 
from  ordinary  garden  strawberries,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  they  were  short,  stocky, 
thick-leaved,  hairy  evergreen  plants.  After 
two  years  of  close  observation  he  was  able 
to  find  a  remarkable  difference  between  a 
pressed  plant  of  the  Oregon  species  and 
plants  of  the  same  species  that  had  been 
under  cultivation  during  this  period.  In 
fact,  the  characteristics  of  the  wild  plants 
under  culture  had  changed  so  much  that  it 
was  quite  difficult  to  recognize  them  from 
ordinary  garden  sorts.  This  change  was 
brought  about  undoubtedly  by  the  variation 
induced  through  the  changed  environment 
of  the  plant.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
such  is  the  case  in  other  plants.  If  artificial 
selection  is  then  given,  plants  may  be  changed 
to  a  still  greater  degree. 

De   Candolle,   Seringe,  and   others    about 


THE   AMERICAN    STRAWBERRY  1 59 

1825  held  the  opinion  that  the  Pine,  Bath 
Scarlet,  and  Black  strawberries  all  belonged 
to  the  F.  Chilcefisis.  The  Dutch  gardeners 
also  held  this  idea,  as  well  as  the  Dutch  mer- 
chants who  sold  the  Pine  strawberries  under 
the  name  of  Fragaria  Chilcensis  anancsformis, 
Duhamel  also  claimed  that  the  seeds  of  the 
F,  Chilcensis  would  produce  the  Pine  straw- 
berry. 

The  conclusion,  therefore.  Is  that  the  gar- 
den strawberries,  although  greatly  changed 
or  modified,  are  direct  descendants  of  the 
Fragaria  Chilcensis,  or  Chile  strawberry. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
Varieties  for  Special  Purposes 

One  of  the  first  questions  asked  by  any 
person  who  is  thinking  of  growing  straw- 
berries is  not  how  to  plant  them,  or  fertihze 
them  or  otherwise  care  for  them,  but  rather 
which  variety  to  plant.  In  talks  between 
neighbours,  be  they  farmers  or  suburbanites, 
it  is  always,  "My  *  *  *  strawberries  are 
doing  fine,  they  are  extremely  large,  juicy,  and 
a  banner  crop."  Also  when  a  friend  is  visiting 
and  there  are  strawberries  to  be  inspected, 
the  first  question  Is,  "What  variety  is  that?" 

It  does  seem  from  the  above  (and  the  au- 
thor's experience  in  both  growing  and  selling 
plants  and  berries  supports  this),  that  one  of 
the  first  and  most  important  questions  is 
that  of  what  variety  to  choose. 

One  of  the  first  considerations  in  the 
choice  of  varieties  is  personal  taste.  This 
personal  taste,  however,  would  have  more 
190 


VARIETIES    FOR    SPECIAL    PURPOSES      I9I 

leeway  in  a  private  fruit  garden  than  in  a 
large  commercial  place,  but,  for  success  in 
growing  strawberries  in  either  case,  it  is  a  very 
important  factor.  Some  individual's  taste 
is  for  a  deep  red  berry  with  considerable 
length  from  hull  to  tip;  another  wants  a 
berry  the  same  colour  and  wider  than  it  is 
long,  or  coxcomb.  A  third  person  desires 
a  berry  with  a  broad-shouldered  top,  a  me- 
dium large,  well-placed  calyx  or  hull,  and 
a  gradual  rounding,  top-shaped  appearance, 
the  stem  and  calyx  to  remain  a  bright  green 
and  the  berry  to  be  from  a  light  crimson  to  a 
deep  rich  scarlet,  the  seeds  being  slightly  red 
and  not  over  conspicuous.  A  berry  like  the 
Sample,  Lady  Thompson  or  Warfield  would 
seem  to  answer  very  nearly  to  this  descrip- 
tion. 

There  are  other  characteristics  as  to  shape 
of  berries,  size  of  berries,  colour  of  berries, 
shipping  qualities,  size  and  colour  of  calyx, 
and  also  seeds  as  well  as  conspicuousness  of 
both,  which  are  taken  into  consideration  in 
selecting  a  variety  for  planting. 

Besides  these  exterior  appearances,  a  large 
number  of  people  consider  the  flavour,  from 
very  acid  or  tart  to  nearly  the  sweetness  of 


192        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

the  native  wild  fruit.  It  is  a  fact  that  some 
people  would  not  think  they  were  eating 
strawberries  without  a  rather  tart  flavour 
being  given,  while  others  have  gone  so  far  in 
their  demands  that  the  berries  must  have 
more  of  the  sweet  wild  flavour,  that  breeders 
have  tried  to  obtain  a  berry  of  large  size, 
containing  one  eighth  to  one  half  or  more  of 
the  wild  in  its  makeup,  and  this  wild  quality 
must  be  given  in  increased  sweetness  of  the 
berry. 

As  well  as  the  flavour,  the  quality  of  the 
flesh  is  a  personal  taste,  whether  the  flesh 
is  fine  grain,  of  one  solid  colour  or  with  a  dark 
rim  and  light  toward  the  centre,  having  also 
the  quality  of  mashing  easily  (making  a  poor 
shipper  but  a  good  home  berry),  or  whether 
it  is  coarse  flesh  of  solid  colour  or  not,  and  a 
good,  hard  shipper.  There  is  generally  some 
coordination  between  the  poor  shipper,  a 
fine-grained  berry  with  increased  sweetness, 
and  the  good  shipper,  a  coarser  berry  with 
increased  acidity. 

As  was  said  just  before,  these  factors  of 
personal  taste  in  strawberry  raising  are 
greater  for  the  home  grower,  as  his  gar- 
den is   the  direct  result  of  individual  likes 


VARIETIES    FOR    SPECIAL    PURPOSES      1 93 

and  dislikes.  Commercially,  these  factors  do 
not  enter  in  so  much,  as  far  as  the  grower 
is  concerned,  but  are  the  direct  results 
of  the  popular  demand  in  the  markets  catered 
to,  and  of  course  this  demand  is  more  or  less 
made  up  of  the  personal  taste  of  the  buyers. 
The  large  grower  may,  however,  force,  in  a 
manner,  the  sale  of  a  berry  of  his  choice 
by  many  of  the  factors  of  sale,  such  as 
more  attractive  package,  correct  packing, 
and  better  advertising.  Nevertheless,  as  a 
general  rule,  the  commercial  grower  must 
have  a  berry  the  colour  and  quality  of  the 
markets'  demand,  and  this  berry  must  be  a 
good  shipper  as  well  as  a  large  producer  of 
good-sized  fruit. 

In  a  careful  study  of  the  various  markets 
of  our  country,  it  has  been  found  that  iirst- 
class,  well-packed  attractive  package  straw- 
berries are,  practically  without  an  exception, 
never  over  supplied,  but  there  Is  at  times, 
in  some  of  the  markets,  an  oversupply  of 
lower  grades  of  fruit,  which  tends  toward 
a  glutted  market,  and  a  decreased  price  for 
even  the  high-priced  number  one  fruit. 

The  best  advice  to  the  commercial  grower 
is,  study  the  demands  of  your  market,  then 


194       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

get  a  variety  that  will  supply  this  demand 
and  keep  up  your  standards  of  berry,  pack- 
age, and  packing,  preferring  rather  to  ship 
your  seconds  to  a  more  distant  market  or  to 
the  cannery,  rather  than  have  them  compete 
with,  and  thereby  reduce,  the  price  of  your 
fancy  fruit.  Canneries  are  glad  to  obtain 
the  fruit  that  is  grown  for  the  general 
market. 

Proper  pollination  of  the  fruits  is  one  of 
the  great  factors  of  successful  strawberry 
growing.  Very  few  people  realize  that 
there  is  a  difference  in  the  flowers  of  straw- 
berries. 

It  is  very  fortunate  that  practically  all 
the  commercial  growers  of  plants  state  in 
their  catalogues  whether  or  not  a  plant  pro- 
duces (P)  pistillate  or  (B)  bi-sexual  flowers, 
thereby  saving  the  grower  value,  time,  and 
money. 

No  attempt  is  here  made  to  present  a 
complete  catalogue  of  present-day  varieties, 
and  new  ones  come  along  each  season.  I 
have,  however,  taken  note  of  the  best  vari- 
eties as  I  see  things,  and  these  tables  are 
offered  as  guides  rather  than  as  unalterable 
facts. 


WEATHER  AND  FRUIT  PROSPECTS 

Above:    Blossoms  of  Glen  Mary  as  produced  in  cloudy  weather  —  no  pollen. 

Below:    Blossoms  of   same   variety  produced    in   sunny   weather  —  plenty  of 

stamens  and  pollen,  which  make  fruit  later  on 


STRAWBERRY  FLOWERS 

Pick  off  the  blossoms  tlie  first  year  if  you  would  have  strong  plants  later.     The 

lower  photograph  shows  how  the  bloom  of  varieties  may  diflFer.     Those  shown 

are,  in  order  from  the  top  left:   Marshall,  Carrie,  Margaret,  Brandywine,  and 

Glen  Mary 


VARIETIES  FOR    SPECIAL    PURPOSES      I95 

ADAPTED    FOR   HOME    PLANTING 

Americus  Helen  Davis 

Autumn      \  Klondike 

Bederwood  Marshall 

Brandywine  Michel's 

Cardinal  Pan-American 

Clyde  Productive 

Francis  Sample 

Gandy  Senator  Dunlop 

Glen  Mary  Texas 

Haverland  Wm.  Belt. 

ADAPTED  FOR   COMMERCIAL    PLANTING 

(Not  Canning) 

Brandywine  Klondike 

Bubach  Lady  Thompson 

Cardinal  Michel's 

Chesapeake  Parson's  Beauty 

Clyde  Sample 

Excelsior  Senator  Dunlop 

Gandy  Stevens 

Glen  Mary  Texas 

Haverland  Warfield 

Helen  Davis  Wm.  Belt 

Highland  Wilson 

ADAPTED    FOR   CANNING 

Brandywine  Parson's  Beauty 

Bederwood  Texas 

Clyde  Warfield 

Haverland  Wilson 


VERY    GOOD    SHIPPERS 

Cardinal  Michel's 

Gandy  Parson's  Beauty 

Glen  Mary  Sample 

Helen  Davis  Texas 

Warfield 


ig6       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 


GOOD 

SHIPPERS 

Brandywine 

Marshall 

Bubach 

Productive 

Chesapeake 

Senator  Dunlop 

Highland 

Stevens 

Klondike 

Wm.  Belt 

Lady  Thompson 

Wilson 

FAIR   TO    GOOD    SHIPPERS 

Bederwood 

Excelsior 

Clyde 

Haverland 

Excelsior 


EXTRA    EARLY    FRUITING 


Michel's 


Texas 


EARLY   FRUITING 

Bederwood 

Helen  Davis 

Clyde 

Highland 

Warfield 

MEDIUM    SEASON    FRUITING 

Bubach 

Lady  Thompson 

Glen  Mary 

Senator  Dunlop 

Haverland 

Parson's  Beauty 

Klondike 

Wm.  Belt 

Wilson 

LATE    FRUITING 

Brandywine 

Chesapeake 

Cardinal 

Marshall 

Sample 

VERY   LATE   FRUITING 

Gandy 

Stevens 

VARIETIES    FOR    SPECIAL    PURPOSES     'I97 


FALL    FRUITING 

Americus 

Francis 

Autumn 

Pan-American 

Productive 

STRONG    POLLENIZERS 

Bederwood 

Parson's  Beauty 

Michel's 

Senator  Dunlop 

Wm.  Belt 

GOOD    POLLENIZERS 

(But  not  in  the  Strong  class) 

Americus 

Helen  Davis 

Brandywine 

Klondike 

Chesapeake 

Lady  Thompson 

Clyde 

Marshall 

Francis 

Pan-American 

Stevens 

WEAK  TO    FAIR   POLLENIZERS 

Excelsior 

Glen  Mary 

Gandy 

Texas 

ADAPTED  TO  INTERPLANT  FOR  POLLENIZATION 

Bederwood  B  with  Highland  P. 
Bederwood  B  with  Warfield  P. 
Bederwood  B  with  Bubach  P. 
Senator  Dunlop  B  with  Haverland  P. 
Wm.  Belt  B  with  Glen  Mary  B  (weak). 
Senator  Dunlop  B  with  Cardinal  P. 
Senator  Dunlop  B  with  Gandy  B  (weak). 
Senator  Dunlop  B  with  Sample  P. 
Pan-American  B  with  Autumn  P. 
Pan-American  B  with  Productive  P. 


VERY    HEAVY   YIELDERS 

Bubach  Highland 

Gandy  Klondike 


198        MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 


Glen  Mary 
Haverland 
Helen  Davis 


Bederwood 

Brandywine 

Cardinal 

Chesapeake 

Clyde 

Excelsior 

Francis 

Brandywine 

Bubach 

Chesapeake 


Cardinal 

Francis 

Candy 

Haverland 

Highland 

Klondike 

Lady  Thompson 

Americus 

Bederwood 

Excelsior 


Americus 
Excelsior 


Parson's  Beauty 
Sample 

Senator  Dunlop 
Texas 

GOOD   YIELDERS 

Lady  Thompson 

Michel's 

Stevens 

Warfield 

Wm.  Belt 

Wilson 

FAIR   TO   GOOD   YIELDERS 

Marshall 

VERY   LARGE   BERRIES 

Clyde 
Glen  Mary 
Helen  Davis 

Marshall 

LARGE   BERRIES 

Parson's  Beauty 

Sample 

Senator  Dunlop 

Stevens 

Texas 

Wm.  Belt 

Wilson 

MEDIUM    SIZE   BERRIES 

Michel's 

Productive 

Warfield 

DARK    RED    BERRIES 

(on  clay  soils) 

Parson's  Beauty 
Productive  (unattractive) 


VARIETIES    FOR    SPECIAL    PURPOSES      I99 

Marshall  Senator  Dunlop 

Pan-American  (dull  red)  Texas  (dark  red  check) 

Warfield 


RED    BERRIES 

Klondike  Sample  (light  red) 

Michel's  (crimson  to  red)  Stevens 

CRIMSON   BERRIES 

Brandywine  Helen  Davis 

Cardinal  (light  crimson)  Lady  Thompson 

Clyde  Texas 

Gandy  (light  crimson)  Wm.  Belt  (dark  crimson) 

Glen  Mary  Wilson  (dark  crimson) 

SCARLET  BERRIES 

Americus  (light  scarlet  on  soils  other  than  clay) 
Bederwood  (light  scarlet)  Francis  (light  scarlet,  glossy) 

Bubach  Haverland 

Highland 

BERRIES  OF  VERY  GOOD  QUALITY 

Brandywine  Klondike 

Bubach  Marshall 

Cardinal  Michel's 

Chesapeake  Pan-American 

Clyde  Sample 

Gandy  Texas 

Glen  Mary  Warfield 

Haverland  Wm.  Belt 

Helen  Davis  Wilson 

BERRIES   OF   GOOD   QUALITY 

Americus  Highland 

Autumn  ^^^Y  Thompson 

Bederwood  Person's  Beauty 

Excelsior  Senator  Dunlop 

Stevens 


iOO        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 


Francis 


BERRIES  OF    FAIR    QUALITY 

Productive 


LARGE    ROOT   DEVELOPMENT,    DROUGHT-RESISTING    PLANTS 

Autumn  Glen  Mary 

Bederwood  Lady  Thompson 

Stevens 


Michel's 


VERY    GOOD    PLANTMAKERS 

Stevens 


Warfield 


GOOD    PLANTMAKERS 

Autumn  Lady  Thompson 

Glen  Mary  Parson's  Beauty 

Klondike  Sample 

Senator  Dunlop 


Francis 
Gandy 


WEAK    PLANTMAKERS 


Marshall 
Pan-American 


Texas 


COSMOPOLITAN   AS   TO    SOIL 

Bubach  Glen  Mary 

Cardinal  Wm.  Belt 

FAIR   TO    GOOD   AS   TO    ADAPTABILITY   TO    SOILS 

Parson's  Beauty  Senator  Dunlop 


Americus 


VARIETIES    FOR   A    CLAY    SOIL 

Gandy 


STRONG    FROST   RESISTERS 

Cardinal  Gandy 

Chesapeake  Haverland 

Pan-American 


VARIETIES    FOR   SPECIAL    PURPOSES     201 

DISEASE    FREE   VARIETIES 

Cardinal  Chesapeake 

SPECIALLY   ADAPTED   TO   GBSENHOUSE    FORCING 

Marshall 

ADAPTED  TO  HILL  METHOD  AND  HIGH  CULTURE 

Autumn  Marshall 

Gandy  Productive 

Senator  Dunlop 

KEY  TO  VARIETY  CHART  ON  FOLLOWING  PAGES 

Origin        Ark. — Arkansas.     111. — Illinois,   etc. 

Sex  B.— Bi-sexual.     P.— Pistillate. 

Season  Ex.  Ey.— Extra  Early.  Ey.— Early.  Med.— Medium, 
L. —  late,  etc. 

Popularity  Mid.  S.— Mid-South.  M.  W.  —  Mid- West.  E.  W.— 
Everywhere,  etc. 

Pollenizer  F.— Fair.     V.  G.— Very  Good.     W.— Weak.     G.— Good 

Shipper      F. — Fair.     G. — Good,  etc. 

Yield  F.— Fair.     G.— Good,  etc. 

Form  C— Conical.    Obi.— Oblate.     R.— Roundish. 

Size  M.— Medium.     L.— Large.      V.L.— Very    large.      S.— 

Small. 

Colour  D.— Dark.  R.— Red.  C— Crimson.  S.— Scarlet.  L.— 
Light. 

Quality       G. — Good,  etc. 

Meat  L.— Light.     R.— Red.    D.— Dark.     S.— Scarlet.      C— 

Crimson. 

Calyx  G.— Green.  Lt.— Light.  B.— Bright.  M.— Medium. 
L. — Large.     S. — Small. 

Uses  Des. — Dessert,      Com. — Commercial  Market.      Can. — 

Cannery. 

Foliage  T.— Tall.  L.— Light.  Lg.— Large.  V.— Very.  G.— 
Green.  Vig.— Vigorous.  H.— Healthy.  Y.— Yel- 
lowish.    B.— Bright.     D.— Dull.     Upr.— Upright. 


202 


MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 


Name  of  Variety 

Origin 

Sex 

Season 

Popularity 

Pollinizer 

Shipper 

Yield 

Americus 
Autumn* 

Iowa 
N.  Y. 

B 
P 

Fall 
Fall 

N  E 

? 

FtoG 

? 

? 

F 
F 

Bederwoodt 
Brandywine 

111. 
Pa. 

B 
B 

EytoM 

W 

E 

VG 
G 

FtoG 
FtoG 

G 
G 

Bubach 

111. 

P 

M 

W 

G 

VG 

Cardinal 

Chesapeake 

Clydeft 

Ohio 
Md. 
Kan. 

P 
B 
B 

L 

L 

Ey  to  L 

N 
E 
Ky 

g' 

FtoG 

VG 

G 

FtoG 

G 
G 
G 

Excelsior 

Ark. 

B 

Ex  Ey 

Mid    S 

F 

FtoG 

G 

Francist 

Iowa 

B 

Fall 

NE 

FtoG 

? 

FtoG 

Gandy 

N.J. 

WeakB 

V  Late 

EMW 

W 

VG 

VG 

Glen  Mary 
Haverland 

Pa. 
N.J. 

B 
P 

M 
M 

E&W 

E 

MW 

MW 

S 

s 

E&W 

W 

FtoG 

FtoG 
FtoG 
FtoG 

VG 

FtoG 

VG 

G 

G 

G 

G 

VG 
VG 

Helen  Davis 

Highland** 

Klondike 

Lady  Thompson  H 

Marshall 

Ind. 

? 

La. 

N.  C. 
Mass. 

B 
P 
B 
B 
B 

Ey 

^^ 

M 
L 

VG 

VG 

VG 

G 

FtoG 

Michel's 

Ark. 

B 

ExEy 

MS 

VG 

VG 

G 

Pan-American 
Parson's  Beauty 

N.  Y. 
? 

B 
B 

Fall 
M 

? 

N 

FtoG 
VG 

? 
VG 

F 
VG 

Productive 

N.  Y. 

P 

Fall 

N 

G 

F 

Sample 

Senator  Dunlop 
Stevens 
Texas 

Mass. 

111. 

N.J. 

Texas 

P 
B 
B 
B 

L 

M 

VL 

ExEy 

E 

E&W 

E 
E&W 

VG 

FtoG 

F 

VG 

G 

G 
VG 

VG 

VG 

G 

VG 

Warfield 
Wilson 
Wm.  Belt 

111. 

N.  Y. 
Ohio 

P 
B 

1    B 

Ey 
M 
M 

EMW 
EN  Y 
E&W 

FtoG 
VG 

VG 
G 
G 

G 
G 
G 

•Fruit  D  R  colour  on  clay  soil. 

tLong  bloomer,  produces  large  amount  of  pollen. 

ttRequires  best  management  for  success. 

t Young  foliage  small,  feeble;  old  foliage  vigorous,  healthy. 

••Light  yellowish  green  foliage. 

HFruit  stems  long. 


VARIETIES   FOR    SPECIAL    PURPOSES 

Fruit 


203 


Form 


R.  Obi. 
R 

RC 

Obi.  C. 

R.  Obi. 

RC 

RC 

Obi.  C. 


Irreg. 
Cocksco'b 

C 

RC 

Obi.  C. 

C 

C 

Obi. 

R.  Obi. 

RC 

Obi.  C. 

C 

Obi.  c. 


RC 

RC 

RC 

C 

Ideal  C 

C 
Obi.  C. 


Size 


M 
StoM 

M 
VL 

VL 

ML 

VL 

Lto  VL 

M 

MtoL 

L 

VL 

L 
Lto  VL 

L 

L 

L 
VL 

M 

S  to  M 
ML 

M 

L 

M  to  L 

L 
MtoL 

M 

M  to  L 

L 


Colour 


LS 
RichR 


LS 
C 


LC 
R 
C 

DR 

LS 

Glossy 

LC 

C 

S 

c 

s 

R 

C 

DR 

CtoR 

L  dull  R 
DR 

DR 

Unattr 

LR 

D  R 

R 
DR 

DR 
D  C 
DC 


Quality 


G 
G 

G 
VG 

VG 

VG 
VG 
VG 


VG 

G  to  V  G 
Gto  VG 

VG 

G  Juicy 

GtoVG 

G 

VG 

VG 

GtoVG 
GMild 

F 

Firm 
VG 

G 

G 
V  G 

GtoVG 

GtoVG 

VG 


Meat 


LS 
R 

Firm  L  S 
LC 

LS 

LC 
LR 

Pink 

Firm 

L  inside 

R  outside 

LS 

VLC 

LC 

LS 

LCto  C 

Solid  S 

R  toS 

LC 

R 

Deep 
Pink 

4    R 
R 

R 

Firm 

C 

R 

LR 

RFirm 

DR 
C 
C 


Calyx 


M 
LG 


L 

MtoL 
MtoL 

M 

S 
Double 

L 

LtoG 


M 
LBG 


Uses 


Des 

Des 

Can  Des 
Can  Des 

Com 

Com 

Com  Des 

Com 
Com   Des 

Can 

Com 

Des 

Des 

Com   Des 

Com  Des 
Cora  Des 
Des  Com 

Com 

Com  Des 

Com  Des 

Des 

Des  Com 

Des 
Can  Com 

Des 

Com  Des 
Com  Des 

Com 

Des 
Com  Can 
Com  Can 
Can  Com 
Com  Des 


Foliage 


LG 

Vig 

DG 

DG.T 


Waxy 

DG 

L  Tough 

Weak 


Glossy  L  G 
D  G.  T. 
Leathery 

VLYG 
YG 
LG 

Ex  T.  L  G 

ExLg 

LtoDG 

LG.T 

Upr 

D  G.  Vig 

L.  DG 

Upr 

L.  Thick 

Glossy 

LG 

T.  B  G 

L  G.  Vig 


Vig 


204       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

There  is  a  worthy  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  American  Pomological  Society  to  sepa- 
rate or  divide  up  the  United  States  into 
eighteen  districts  and  name  the  fruits  that 
are  particularly  adapted  to  each  district  as 
well  as  those  which  are  worth  trying.  This 
is  a  most  valuable  work  and  should  be 
brought  up  to  date  each  year  in  the  case  of 
strawberries.  The  map  here  reproduced  (on 
page  205)  is  from  Bulletin  No.  151,  Division 
of  Pomology,  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture. 

The  planter  should  consult  the  map  to 
determine  the  division  in  which  he  is  located 
and  study  the  following  list  of  suitable  vari- 
eties to  plant  in  his  section: 

DIv.  i:  Bederwood,  Bubach  No.  s,  Clyde,  Crescent,  Haverland, 

Warfield,  Wilson. 
Div.  2:  Bubach  No.  s,  Clyde,  Crescent,  Gandy,  Haverland,  Michel's 

Early,  Sharpless,  Warfield,  Brandywine,  Wilson. 
Div.  3:  Wm.  Belt,  Bederwood,  Bubach  No.  5,  Gandy,  Haverland, 

Lady  Thompson,  Warfield,  Brandywine,  Wilson. 
Div.  4:   Bederwood,  Bubach  No.  5,  Crescent,  Gandy,  Haverland, 

Michel's  Early,  Lady  Thompson,  Warfield,  Brandywine,  Wilson. 
Div.  5:  Gandy,  Michel's  Early,  Lady  Thompson,  Wilson. 
Div.  6:  Michel's  Early,  Lady  Thompson's  Brandywine,  Wilson. 
Div.  7:   Brandywine,  Bubach  No.  5,  Crescent,  Gandy,  Glen  Mary, 

Michel's  Early,  Lady  Thompson. 
Div.  8:   Bederwood,  Bubach  No.  5,  Crescent,  Gandy,  Haverland, 

Michel's  Early,  Sharpless,  Warfield,  Wilson. 
Div.  9:  Bederwood,  Crescent,  Warfield,  Brandywine,  Wilson. 
Div.  10:  Crescent,  Gandy,  Haverland,  Warfield,  Brandywine. 


VARIETIES    FOR    SPECIAL   PURPOSES     205 


206       MODERN    STRAWBERRY   GROWING 

Div.  II:  Hoffman  and  Michel's  Early  are  the  only  sorts  mentioned 
as  having  proved  themselves  adapted  to  this  region  in  the  list 
prepared  by  the  American  Poraological  Society. 

Div.  12:  Brandywine,  Sharpless  and  Lady  Thompson  where  irri- 
gation can  be  provided. 

Div.  13:  Bederwood,  Crescent,  Haverland,  Sharpless,  Wilson. 

Div.  14:  Crescent,  Bubach  No.  5,  Candy,  Haverland,  Brandywine, 
Wilson. 

Div.  15:  Jessie,  Parker  Earle,  Sharpless,  Wilson. 

Div.  16:   Hood  River,  Sharpless,  Brandywine,  Wilson. 

Div.    17:   Sharpless,   Brandywine. 

Div.  18:  Jessie,  Sharpless.  These  sorts  are  only  fairly  well  adapted 
to  the  region. 

Div.  19:   Sharpless,  Lady  Thompson. 

ORDERING    PLANTS 

One  of  the  hardest  things  to  decide  upon 
is  from  whom  to  order  plants.  As  a  general 
rule,  it  is  best  to  obtain  them  from  a  grower 
who  raises  them  near  one's  home.  In  a  great 
many  cases  plants  can  be  obtained  from  this 
source  that  are  adapted  both  to  the  climate 
and  the  soil,  as  well  as  to  the  market. 

Then  another  consideration  is  that  the 
plants  can  be  dug  in  the  morning  and  planted 
at  once,  and  the  largest  amount  of  root 
surface  will  be  retained,  roots  will  not  dry- 
out,  and  the  chances  of  successful  trans- 
planting will  be  greater. 

However,  desirable  plants  ofttimes  cannot 
be  obtained  nearby  and  it  is  then  advisable  to 


<    5 

>     1 


u^ 


VARIETIES    FOR   SPECIAL   PURPOSES     207 

patronize  one  of  the  large  reliable  strawberry 
plant  specialists  who  offer  specially  grown  and 
pedigreed  plants.  Most  of  these  firms  ad- 
vertise in  reliable  farm  and  garden  papers, 
and  will  treat  your  order,  whether  it  be  large 
or  small,  with  all  due  consideration.  It  is 
best  in  ordering  not  only  to  specify  the 
variety,  number  of  plants  wanted,  but  also 
whether  you  desire  the  roots  or  leaves  pruned, 
about  what  time  you  would  want  to  receive 
the  plants,  shipping  directions,  and  some  of 
your  conditions  under  which  you  are  going 
to  place  the  plants,  such  as  location,  soil,  etc. 

The  best  time  to  order  plants  is  in  the  late 
winter.  Do  not  wait  until  the  rush  is  on 
and  some  one  else  has  secured  the  cream  of 
the  plants,  but  have  your  order  in  early  and 
give  the  grower  a  chance  and  time  to  attend 
properly  to  your  shipment. 

The  foregoing  descriptions  of  the  success- 
ful varieties  of  strawberries  must  not  be 
taken  too  literally  by  the  amateur.  It  would 
be  better  for  him  to  take  them  more  as  a 
guide,  and  test  each  of  his  selections  before 
planting  on  any  large  scale. 

It  would  also  be  advisable  for  him  to  make 
inquiries  of  successful  growers  in  his  section, 


J 


208        MODERN    STRAWBERRY    GROWING 

giving  special  reference  as  to  soil,  moisture, 
site,  interplanting  or  interpollination  and 
other  points.  It  will  often  be  found  that 
there  is  some  variety  other  than  any  one 
here  mentioned  that  is  particularly  adapted 
to  the  local  conditions  and  market. 


INDEX 


Adaptation  to  soil,  4 
Alpine  strawberry,  The,  161 
American  strawberry;   What 

is  it?  179 
August  planting,  143 

Back  furrowing,  16 
Baskets  for  market,  82 
Berries  for  the  home,  152 
Bordeaux  mixture,  68 
Breeding  new  varieties,  121 
Burning  the  bed,  99 

Companion  crops,  35 

CooUng,  81 

Cost  of  production,  133 

Crates,  84 

Cropping,  how  long,  93 

Crops,  Previous,  10 

Cross-breeding   records,    123 

Crown  eaters,  62 

Cultivate,  how  often,  48 

Cultivating  old  beds,  49 

Cultivation,  44,  45 

Depth  to  plant,  25 
Diseases,  60 

Exposure,  6 

Fall-bearing  strawberries,  171 
Fall  planting,  28 
Fertilizers,  38 

formulae,  42 

when  to  apply,  43 
Field  spraying,  71 
Flooding,  53 
Flower,  Parts  of,  117 
Forcing,  Winter,  loi 


Freezing  in  pots,  105 
Frost,  Protection  from,  57 
Fruit-injuring  insects,  65 
Fruits  or  plants,  114 
Fungous  diseases,  66 

Grading,  76 

Growth  versus  fruit,  41 


Harrowing,  15 
Hedge  row,  151 

double,  33 

single,  32 
Hill  planting,  34 
History  of   the   strawberry, 

179 
Home  garden,  140 
How  many  plants,  36 

Insects,  60 
Intercropping,  35 
Irrigation,  49 

and  yield,  52 

systems,  53 

Judging  and  scoring,  127 
June  bug,  61 

Kerosene  emulsion,  70 

Leaf  burn,  44 

eaters,  64 

roller,  64 

spot,  67 
Level  culture,  17 


209 


2IO 


INDEX 


Manure,  39 
Manuring,  11,  158 
Marking,  19 
Matted  row,  31 
Mulching,  46,  88,  147 

Ordering  plants,  206 
Over-production,  112 
Overhead  irrigation,  56 

Packing  house,  86 

rules,  79 
Pedigree  plants,  115 
Pickers'  rules,  75 
Picking,  73 

prices  for,  77 

stands,  85 
Plant  making  qualities,   112 
Planting,  23,  145 

systems,  31 
Plants  for  the  new  bed,  151 

receiving,  22 
Plowing,   12 

faU,  13 
Poisons,  68 
Pollen,  spread  of,  119 
Pollination,  107,  116 
Pot-grown  plants,  97 

for  fall,  113 
Potted    plants,    convenience 

of,  103 
Power  spraying,  71 
Profits,  135,  137 
Propagation,  no 

Red  spider,  67 

Refrigerator  crates,  85 

Renovating  the  old  bed,  88 

Rolling,  17 

Root  eaters,  61 

Runners,  150 
cutting,  49 
propagating,  in 
rooting  in  pots,  113 


Score  card,  129 

Scoring  and  judging,  147 

Selection,  Improvement  by, 

116 
Shipping,  80 
Site,  Selection  of,  3 
Slope  vs.  level,  5 
Slug,  65 

Sod,  old,  inadvisable,  7 
Soil,  adapting,  9 
and  fertilizers,  41 
ideal,  7 
Spraying,  60 
Spring  planting,  148 
Sterility,   Possible  cause  of, 

119 
Strawberries  and  vegetables 

together,  149 
Summer  cultivation,  149 
planting,  28 

Tally  checks,  77 
Tarnished  plant  bug,  66 
Temperatures    under    glass, 

106 
Thinning,  108 
Tillage,  51 

benefits  of,  46 
Tools,  47 

Transportation,  86 
Trenching,  144 

Varieties  for  Pomological  Dis- 
tricts, 204 
for  special  purposes,  190 

Water  and  health,  58 

quantity  used,  45 
Watering,  146 
When  to  plant,  28 
White  grub,  7,  61 

Yields,  Probable,  136 


THE  COUNTRY  LIFE  PRESS 
GAEDEN  CITY,  N.  Y. 


I'}'!l}  1  !  !  !  :  '    ' 


'ft;!'" 


■^viiiiiiijiiiiii:: 


''"vtVi'l'i 

'•'['ii'i'X';';'; 


;i  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii; 


; 


ipli'iiiilililiiiliiiiiii:: 

liW^^^^^^^^^^^^^^      : .:.. ■■ 

lliiiiliiiiiiipi^:     liiiiiiiiill 

iiiii  iiiiiiii: 


11(1 


<i.  i:i  1  I  I 


